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Q: Quantenoptik
Q 1: Poster: Atom Optics
Q 1.10: Poster
Montag, 2. April 2001, 12:30–15:00, AT2
Atom-optical determination of the surface van der Waals interaction of metastable He and Ne atoms — •C. Walter2, P. Fouquet1, R. E. Grisenti1, G. C. Hegerfeldt2, T. Köhler3, and J. P. Toennies1 — 1Max-Planck-Institut für Strömungsforschung, Bunsenstraße 10, 37073 Göttingen, Germany — 2Institut für theoretische Physik der Universität Göttingen, Bunsenstraße 9, 37073 Göttingen, Germany — 3University of Oxford, Clarendon Laboratory, Parks Road, Oxford OX13PU, UK
It has been shown recently [1] that by means of diffraction from nanostructured transmission gratings it is possible to determine the van der Waals interaction potential of ground state rare gas atoms with the grating material. The new theory that underlies this method is now applied to metastable 3S1 He and 3P Ne atoms which are today in constant use as a non-destructive probe for surfaces. The corresponding surface van der Waals interaction, however, is difficult to measure since upon contact they relax very quickly into their ground state.
The atom-optical approach presented here leaves the excited state of the atoms intact and shows how the relative intensities of the principal maxima in the diffraction pattern correlate with the strength C3 of the atom-surface van der Waals potential. Our results from new experimental data agree well with theoretical calculations [2].
[1] R.E. Grisenti, W. Schöllkopf, J.P. Toennies, G.C. Hegerfeldt, and T. Köhler, Phys. Rev. Lett. 83, 1755 (1999).
[2] G. Vidali, M.W. Cole, Surf. Sci. 110 (1981) 10-18