Article abstract
Nature Physics 4, 649 - 655 (2008)
Published online: 15 June 2008 | doi:10.1038/nphys993
Subject Categories: Atomic and molecular physics | Quantum physics
Localization and loss of coherence in molecular double-slit experiments
Björn Zimmermann1,5,
Daniel Rolles2,6,
Burkhard Langer3,7,
Rainer Hentges2,
Markus Braune2,
Slobodan Cvejanovic2,8,
Oliver Ge
ner2,9,
Franz Heiser2,10,
Sanja Korica2,
Toralf Lischke2,11,
Axel Reinköster2,
Jens Viefhaus2,12,
Reinhard Dörner4,
Vincent McKoy1
&
Uwe Becker2
Abstract
In molecular double-slit experiments, the interference between emitted core electrons of diatomic molecules gives rise to oscillations in the observed electron intensity. Here, we explore this behaviour for photoelectrons emitted from CO and N2 by soft X-ray ionization in the molecular frame, and we argue that in addition to the undisturbed emission process, intramolecular scattering can lead to electron interference between the scattered and unscattered wave in two ways: two-centre interference between two spatially coherent emitters and one-centre self-interference. The latter is the signature of a loss of spatial coherence. The spatial scale over which the transition from two-centre to one-centre coherence occurs is the de Broglie wavelength of the scattered photoelectron in units of the bond length. These results highlight the fact that the molecular double slit is based on two independent uncertainty principles, 
pxx and Et, the second of which causes ongoing tunnelling between the two centres, even after the collapse of the electron wavefunction in real space.
- California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, USA
- Fritz-Haber-Institut der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, 14195 Berlin, Germany
- Max-Born-Institut für Nichtlineare Optik und Kurzzeitspektroskopie, 12489 Berlin, Germany
- Institut für Kernphysik, Universität Frankfurt, 60486 Frankfurt, Germany
- Present address: Department of Physics, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana 70118, USA (B.Z.)
- Present address: University of Western Michigan, Kalamazoo, Michigan 49008, USA (D.R.)
- Present address: Physikalische und Theoretische Chemie, Institut für Chemie, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany (B.L.)
- Present address: Medical Faculty, Physics Department, University of Rijeka, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia (S.C.)
- Present address: Chemical Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA (O.G.)
- Present address: Ericsson AB, Torshamnsgatan 39 A, 16493 Kista, Sweden (F.H.)
- Present address: Max-Planck-Institut für Plasmaphysik, 85748 Garching, Germany (T.L.)
- Present address: Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, 22603 Hamburg, Germany (J.V.)
Correspondence to: Uwe Becker2 e-mail: becker_u@fhi-berlin.mpg.de
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