Quantum-Assisted Measurement of Atomic Diamagnetism

We report the first measurement of ground-state diamagnetism of isolated neutral atoms in an atomic beam. We realize this measurement using magnetic deflection of fringes in a long-baseline matter-wave interferometer. The observed diamagnetic susceptibilities of−5.8±0.2±0.4×10−9m3/kgfor barium and−7...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inPhysical review. X Vol. 10; no. 1; p. 011014
Main Authors Fein, Yaakov Y., Shayeghi, Armin, Mairhofer, Lukas, Kiałka, Filip, Rieser, Philipp, Geyer, Philipp, Gerlich, Stefan, Arndt, Markus
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published College Park American Physical Society 01.01.2020
Subjects
Atomic beams
Barium
Coordination compounds
Diamagnetism
Electron spin
Interferometers
Magnetic fields
Magnetic moments
Magnetic probes
Magnetic properties
Magnetism
Metal clusters
Neutral atoms
Quantum mechanics
Quantum theory
Sensitivity
Vapor phases
Visibility
Wave functions
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:We report the first measurement of ground-state diamagnetism of isolated neutral atoms in an atomic beam. We realize this measurement using magnetic deflection of fringes in a long-baseline matter-wave interferometer. The observed diamagnetic susceptibilities of−5.8±0.2±0.4×10−9m3/kgfor barium and−7.0±0.3±0.7×10−9m3/kgfor strontium are in good agreement with the theoretical values and correspond to a measured force on the order of10−26N. The high force sensitivity also allows us to observe the isotope dependence of the interference visibility due to the nuclear permanent magnetic moment, thereby demonstrating a new method for neutral isotope selection. The universality of the technique allows the magnetism of a wide range of atoms and molecules to be studied in the gas phase.
ISSN:2160-3308
2160-3308
DOI:10.1103/PhysRevX.10.011014