Göttingen 2012 – scientific programme

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GR: Fachverband Gravitation und Relativitätstheorie

GR 24: Poster (permanent)

GR 24.1: Poster

Monday, February 27, 2012, 14:00–14:00, ZHG 002

qBounce - a realization of the Quantum Bouncer with ultra-cold neutrons — Hartmut Abele¹, Thomas Bittner¹, •Gunther Cronenberg¹, Hanno Filter¹, Peter Geltenbort², Tobias Jenke¹, Kevin Mitsch¹, and Martin Thalhammer¹ — ¹Atominstitut TU Wien, Wien, Österreich — ²Institut Laue-Langevin, Grenoble, Frankreich

We present the observation of a quantum bouncing ball in the gravitational field of the Earth. Quantum states in the Earth's gravitational field can be observed, when ultra-cold neutrons fall under gravity.

In our previous experiment in collaboration with the Institute Laue-Langevin/Grenoble, the lowest stationary quantum state of neutrons in the Earth's gravitational field was clearly identified. In the new experiment qBounce, we use this technique to prepare a neutron in the ground state and then to let it fall and bounce off a neutron mirror. Oscillations in time similar to the harmonic oscillator system described by Glauber states have been observed. Such a quantum particle bouncing in a linear gravitational field is known as the quantum bouncer. The motivation of this activity is also the investigation of quantum phases and quantum decoherence. For that matter we have developed position-sensitive neutron detectors with an extra-high spatial resolution.