SlideShare a Scribd company logo
Q U A N T U M M E C H A N I C S Copyright © 2017
The Authors, some
rights reserved;
exclusive licensee
American Association
for the Advancement
of Science. No claim to
original U.S. Government
Works. Distributed
under a Creative
Commons Attribution
NonCommercial
License 4.0 (CC BY-NC).
In search of multipath interference using
large molecules
Joseph P. Cotter,1
*†
Christian Brand,1
Christian Knobloch,1
Yigal Lilach,2
Ori Cheshnovsky,2,3
Markus Arndt1
The superposition principle is fundamental to the quantum description of both light and matter. Recently, a number of
experiments have sought to directly test this principle using coherent light, single photons, and nuclear spin states. We
extend these experiments to massive particles for the first time. We compare the interference patterns arising from a
beam of large dye molecules diffracting at single, double, and triple slit material masks to place limits on any high-
order, or multipath, contributions. We observe an upper bound of less than one particle in a hundred deviating from
the expectations of quantum mechanics over a broad range of transverse momenta and de Broglie wavelength.
INTRODUCTION
Many quantum technologies rely on the ability to prepare and manip-
ulate the wave function y of a quantum object. For most applications,
the advantage of quantum systems over their classical counterparts
stems from the superposition principle—quantum states can be coher-
ently split, simultaneously exploring larger regions of phase-space as
they evolve than allowed classically. Typically, the information of inter-
est is encoded in the relative phase difference between superpositions of
quantum degrees of freedom, such as energy, spin, momentum, or po-
sition. In practice, this phase difference is measured by recombining the
superposition states to form an interferometer. Examples include
atomic clocks (1), quantum processing devices (2, 3), magnetic sensors
(4), and matter-wave interferometers using atoms (5, 6) and macro-
molecules (7).
The interpretation of the wave function continues to intrigue both
theorists (8–11) and experimentalists (12, 13). Although it is not directly
observable, it can be inferred from measurements of the probability
density P using Born’s rule
P ¼ y
j j2
ð1Þ
As long as the underlying quantum dynamics are linear, Eq. 1 can be
derived from decision theory (14), entanglement (15), or measurements
confined to closed Hilbert spaces (16). However, nonlinear extensions
to quantum mechanics for massive objects (17–23), which are stimu-
lated by the apparent absence of quantum phenomena in macroscopic
systems, can, in principle, result in modifications to Born’s rule (24).
This is somewhat akin to the breakdown of the superposition principle
in nonlinear optics. Although some nonlinear extensions to quantum
mechanics (25, 26) have been ruled out (27) or constrained by experi-
ment (28), recent advances (29) in probing quantum phenomena in
systems of increasing mass (30–32) or larger state separation (33) mo-
tivate further experimental exploration.
Sorkin (34) showed that the quadratic form of Born’s rule implies
that no matter how many paths are accessible to a quantum object in
configuration space, the probability of a particular outcome can always be
decomposed into a series of terms containing at most two of the allowed
paths. This insight has guided a number of recent experiments searching
for multipath interference using coherent light and single photons (35–38),
light carrying orbital angular momentum (39), and molecular spins in nu-
clear magnetic resonance experiments (40). Here, we compare the interfer-
ence patterns created by free-flying macromolecules behind single, double,
and triple slits, providing an explicit test of multipath interference for the
center-of-mass wave function of massive quanta.
RESULTS
Figure 1A shows the experimental layout. A vacuum window coated
with a thin, homogeneous layer of phthalocyanine (PcH2) provides a
source of molecules with a mass M = 515 atomic mass unit (amu). A
tightly focused laser beam desorbs them, producing a molecular beam
along z with a mean velocity v = 240 m/s and a full width at half max-
imum Dv = 130 m/s. This corresponds to de Broglie wavelengths in the
range of about ldB = 2.5 to 5.0 pm. After propagating a distance L1 =
1.55 m under high vacuum, the molecules impinge on a 25-nm–thick
amorphous carbon mask containing a vertical array of one single, two
double, and triple slits. The slits have an average transverse opening
width of a = 80 nm. The double slits have periodicities d = 100 and
200 nm, and the triple slit has a periodicity of d = 100 nm. Figure 2
shows a transmission electron microscopy (TEM) image of a part of
the triple slit (see Materials and Methods and the Supplementary
Materials). The slits are arranged vertically above one another on the
same substrate and are exposed to the molecular beam simultaneously.
In this experiment, the transverse coherence length of the molecular
beam at the mask 2ldBL1/Dx is limited by the size of the molecular
source [Dx = 1.6(1) mm] and ranges from 5 to 10 mm. This exceeds
the maximum transverse separation between slits in each mask by more
than an order of magnitude. Behind the mask, the molecules propagate
a further distance L2 = 0.58 m before they are adsorbed on a quartz plate
where they are imaged using laser-induced fluorescence.
Consider the three idealized slits illustrated in Fig. 1B. If the spatial
coherence of a molecular beam encountering these apertures extends
over all three slits, the final wave function is described by the coherent
sum of the individual wave functions transiting each slit
yABC ¼ yA þ yB þ yC ð2Þ
1
Faculty of Physics, Vienna Center for Quantum Science and Technology, University
of Vienna, Boltzmanngasse 5, A-1090 Vienna, Austria. 2
Center for Nanoscience and
Nanotechnology, Tel Aviv University, 69978 Tel Aviv, Israel. 3
School of Chemistry, Raymond
and Beverly Faculty of Exact Sciences, Tel Aviv University, 69978 Tel Aviv, Israel.
*Present address: Centre for Cold Matter, The Blackett Laboratory, Imperial Col-
lege London, London SW7 2BW, UK.
†Corresponding author. Email: j.cotter@imperial.ac.uk
S C I E N C E A D V A N C E S | R E S E A R C H A R T I C L E
Cotter et al., Sci. Adv. 2017;3:e1602478 11 August 2017 1 of 6
on
February
22,
2021
http://advances.sciencemag.org/
Downloaded
from
This results in a probability density PABC = |yABC| = |yA + yB + yC|2
,
which can be written in terms of one- and two-path interference con-
tributions only as
P′
ABC ¼ ðPAB þ PAC þ PBCÞ  ðPA þ PB þ PCÞ ð3Þ
Here, P′
ABC represents the probability density expected, according to
Born’s rule, when all three paths are available. PAB is the measured prob-
ability density when only paths A and B are open, PA applies when only
path A is open, and so on. By comparing measured three-path interfer-
ence patterns with a combination of one- and two-path patterns, one
can therefore provide an upper bound to the contribution of multipath
interference using Sorkin’s criterion (34) through a nonzero measure-
ment of the dimensionless parameter
eðx; ldBÞ ¼ PABC  P′
ABC
¼ PABC  ðPAB þ PAC þ PBCÞ þ ðPA þ PB þ PCÞ ð4Þ
Here, x is the transverse position on the detection screen and ldB is the
de Broglie wavelength of the interfering quanta.
Within an experimental run, we deposit about 2 × 104
molecules in
an area of the detection screen measuring 80 × 280 mm2
. This number
density is sufficiently dilute, even in the densest regions, that Ng, the
number of fluorescence photons detected, remains proportional to
the number of molecules in a given region, N = aNg.
According to Eq. 4, seven different interference patterns are required
to place bounds on e(x, ldB). However, in this experiment, the interfer-
ence patterns PAB and PBC are expected to differ only by a translation of
100 nm along x. This is two orders of magnitude smaller than the spatial
separation of the diffraction fringes and below the limit of our spatial
resolution. We can therefore simplify Eq. 4 as
eðx; ldBÞ ¼ N
ða;dÞ
3 ðx; ldBÞ  2N
ða;dÞ
2 ðx; ldBÞ
N
ða;2dÞ
2 ðx; ldBÞ þ 3N
ðaÞ
1 ðx; ldBÞ ð5Þ
Here, N is the number of molecules, subscripts label the number of
paths available, and superscripts denote the respective slit width and sep-
aration. This simplification is valid because NA ≈ NB ≈ NC ¼
N
ðaÞ
1 , NAB ≈ NBC ¼ N
ða;dÞ
2 , NAC ¼ N
ða;2dÞ
2 ; and NABC ¼ N
ða;dÞ
3 . This
allows only four submasks to be used: M1 with a single slit, M2 with
two slits separated by d, M3 with two slits separated by 2d, and M4 with
three slits separated by d.
Figure 3 (A to D) shows typical fluorescence images for molecules
diffracted at submasks M1 to M4 in a region of 80 × 280 mm2
. This
region was chosen to be slightly larger than the single-slit diffraction
pattern, which sets the natural length scale for these experiments. In
all images, we observe a broad transverse distribution of molecules,
consistent with a single-slit diffraction envelope. However, where more
thanonepathisavailable,additionalfringes,consistentwithldB = xd/L2 ,
are observed. Here, m is an integer labeling the diffraction order, and
we have made the small-angle approximation sin(q) ≈ q ≈ x/L2.
Slower molecules have more time to fall as they travel from the
source to the screen, resulting in larger separations between diffrac-
tion orders than those of faster particles. The molecular velocity, and
therefore the de Broglie wavelength, is encoded in the vertical posi-
tion of molecules on the detection screen. Hence, we are able to post-
select molecules with different de Broglie wavelengths after each
experiment. Figure 3E shows the corresponding value of e(x, ldB)
for the interference patterns shown in Fig. 3 (A to D) after subtrac-
tion in accordance with Eq. 5. We see that the deviation from zero is
typically at the one-molecule level or fewer.
To compare results from different experimental runs as well as our
values to earlier measurements with photons (35, 37, 40), we rescale
B
A
Diffraction
mask
1
2
3
4
H2
Pc
Laser
desorption
1
2
A B C
A B C
Fig. 1. Experimental setup. (A) Focused laser source produces a thermal beam
of PcH2 molecules, which diffracts at a vertical array of single, double, and triple
slits, which are aligned to the local gravitation field g, before landing on a thin
quartz detection screen. The deposited molecules are observed using high-
resolution fluorescence imaging. (B) Schematic of the triple slit. The openings
(black) have a transverse width a = 80 nm, and their centers are separated by a
distance d = 100 nm.
Fig. 2. Diffraction mask. TEM image of a part of the M4 submask of the triple
slit. The openings in the mask (white) are a = 80 nm wide and have a period of d =
100 nm.
S C I E N C E A D V A N C E S | R E S E A R C H A R T I C L E
Cotter et al., Sci. Adv. 2017;3:e1602478 11 August 2017 2 of 6
on
February
22,
2021
http://advances.sciencemag.org/
Downloaded
from
e(x, ldB) by the total number of molecules detected for each de Broglie
wavelength, Ntotal(ldB), within the triple-slit interference pattern
kðx; ldBÞ ¼
eðx; ldBÞ
NtotalðldBÞ
ð6Þ
This ratio compares the number of molecules that deviate from the pre-
dictions of quantum mechanics to the total number of molecules de-
tected for a given de Broglie wavelength and therefore provides a
measure of any potential violation that is independent of the particle
flux and integration time. Note that the precise definition of k varies
throughout the existing literature. In many cases, it is the intensity of
particles detected at the center of the interference pattern that is used.
However, in far-field molecule interferometry, the interaction energy
between the interfering particles and the diffractive element can alter
the relative intensity of each diffraction order, resulting in species-
and diffraction-dependent values of k. In contrast, the total number
of molecules detected remains independent of the diffraction process
at low energies.
Figure 4A shows the normalized Sorkin parameter k(x, ldB) aver-
aged over five experimental runs, each of which takes about 8 hours
to accumulate. We see that any residual structure remaining in e(x, ldB)
from Fig. 3E is greatly reduced by the combined action of averaging and
normalizing to the total number of molecules detected. To produce this
figure, we have combined the four interference patterns of Fig. 3 (A to
D) in accordance with Eqs. 4 to 6. The absence of pronounced peaks
qualitatively constrains multipath contributions to the interference
patterns generated in our molecule interferometer.
In a single measurement, we obtain interference patterns for parti-
cles with de Broglie wavelengths spanning more than an entire octave as
well as a broad range of transverse positions. More details relating to the
conversion of vertical position on the charge-coupled device (CCD)
camera to de Broglie wavelength can be found in Materials and Methods
and the Supplementary Materials. To quantitatively constrain multipath
interference, we focus on k recorded at the center of the zeroth diffraction
fringe and a transverse slice with a de Broglie wavelength of 3.5 pm. Fig-
ure 4 (B and C) shows k(0, ldB) and k(x, 3.5 pm) averaged over five ex-
perimental runs. The black line depicts the mean value, with the shaded
region illustrating the accompanying 1s SE. We see no significant de-
viation of k from zero beyond our statistical uncertainty across the en-
tire range of de Broglie wavelengths or transverse momenta probed.
DISCUSSION
Our molecular experiment provides a direct constraint on contributions
to multipath interference using massive particles by comparing the inter-
ference patterns resulting from single-, double-, and triple-slit experi-
ments. Matter waves have a different dispersion relation than light,
which has enabled us to place bounds on multipath interference across
arange of deBroglie wavelengthsspanning morethanan octave,in addi-
tiontoabroadrangeoftransversemomenta,inasingleexperimentalrun.
We observe that, on average, less than one molecule in a hundred
deviates from the coherent, Schrödinger description of quantum me-
chanics when compared with the corresponding local number of mol-
ecules of the same de Broglie wavelength in a triple-slit experiment. This
results in an upper limit of |k|2
≤ 10−2
across de Broglie wavelengths
ranging from 2.5 to 5.0 pm and transverse positions ranging over 80 mm
centered on the zeroth interference fringe.
Unlike photons, which are detected destructively, here, the interfer-
ing quanta are durable molecules that stick to a screen where they can be
detected in a nondestructive manner, even days after deposition (41).
Whether the wavelike description of quantum objects extends to higher
masses (29, 42) remains an open question that motivates further
experiments using larger, more massive, and complex particles. How-
ever, the long integration time required to produce a single-molecule
m = 0
A B C D
N1
(a,d)
N2
(a,2d)
N2
(a,d)
N3
(a)
0
10
20
Number
of
molecules
–1
0
1
(number
of
molecules)
E
40 m
Fig. 3. Molecule diffraction patterns. Fluorescence images of molecules after diffraction at (A) a single slit, (B) a double slit with period 2d, (C) a double slit with
period d, and (D) a triple slit with period d. Slower molecules fall further under gravity in the time it takes them to reach the screen. This results in a larger separation
between diffraction orders further down the screen. All images are aligned vertically with respect to gravity. In (D), we have highlighted the center of the m = 0 fringe.
(E) Sorkin parameter e(x, ldB) for the interference patterns (A to D) calculated in accordance with Eq. 5.
S C I E N C E A D V A N C E S | R E S E A R C H A R T I C L E
Cotter et al., Sci. Adv. 2017;3:e1602478 11 August 2017 3 of 6
on
February
22,
2021
http://advances.sciencemag.org/
Downloaded
from
interference pattern limits our statistics, which are the dominant uncer-
tainty in this experiment. Further progress hinges on the development
of new sources for slow, cold, and collimated macromolecular, cluster,
or nanoparticle beams.
Direct tests of multipath interference using beams of molecules are
best implemented in a single diffraction grating scheme, such as the one
used in our present work. State-of-the-art material diffraction gratings
have already reached their natural size limit, with masks as thin as a
single atomic layer (43); further advances may therefore require optical
gratings or new methods of producing effective slits for matter waves.
High-order interference terms, resulting in finite values of k, are pre-
dicted by quantum mechanics. These additional terms can be under-
stood using the Feynman path integral approach, wherein nonlinear
pathsalsoaddupconstructivelytocontributetothefinalinterferencepat-
tern(44,45).Foratriple-slitexperiment,suchastheonepresentedhere,the
maximum value of this multipath contribution scales as l
3=2
dB =ðad1=2
Þ.
The relatively high mass of our interfering quanta, which are derived
from a thermal source, results in a short de Broglie wavelength. This
suppresses the multipath contribution to the interference patterns well
below our current precision. However, matter-wave interferometry
using cold, low-mass atoms, such as helium or lithium, can achieve very
long de Broglie wavelengths and may be able to reach the necessary
precision.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Experimental design
The experiment is housed in a 2.14-m-long vacuum chamber with a
background pressure below 10−7
mbar (41). At this pressure, collisions
with background gas can be safely neglected. Furthermore, collisions
predominantly prevent the molecules from reaching the small detection
region, whereby they reduce the count rate without affecting the shape
of the diffraction patterns. Each experimental run took about 8 hours.
Approximately 50 mg of PcH2 (M = 515 amu) was evaporated onto a
CF100 vacuum window, resulting in a homogeneous layer, only a few
micrometersthick (41). Evaporating molecules fromthe coated window
using a tightly focused 60-mW laser beam with a wavelength of 421 nm
produced a dilute molecular beam along z, with, on average, less than
one molecule passing through the grating at any given time. Particles
leave the surface from a circular spot with a diameter of Dx = 1.6(1) mm,
measured using an optical microscope. The beam was replenished in situ
by translating the window laterally to expose new regions of the surface
to the laser beam. This ensures that the position of the beam relative to
the diffraction mask remains fixed. After desorption, the molecules
propagate a distance of L1 = 1.55 m before coherently illuminating
the diffraction mask consisting of four sets of slits (M1 to M4). The an-
gular spread of the molecular beam is well described by a cosine
distribution, resulting in a flux of particles varying by 10−6
across
the 0.6-mrad solid angle required to simultaneously illuminate all slits.
The mask was positioned relative to the molecular beam with a pre-
cision of 25 mm using an xy translation stage, and the slits were orien-
tated with respect to gravity (y axis) to better than a few milliradians.
After passing through, the mask molecules arrive at a quartz plate
where they stick. The molecular diffraction patterns were then revealed
by illuminating the quartz plate using a 661-nm laser and observing the
resulting fluorescence from the deposited molecules. The illumination
laser beam has a top-hat intensity distribution produced by reflecting a
Gaussian beam from the surface of a spatial light modulator (SLM)
before passing through a rotating ground-glass diffuser. Each interfer-
ence pattern was imaged using a 20-s exposure, during which the SLM
cycled through 100 different interference masks, averaging over the
laser beam phase fronts, resulting in an average intensity that varies
by a few percent over the entire region of interest. Fluorescence photons
were collected using a 20× objective (Zeiss Ultrafluar), whichfocuses them
onto an electron-multiplying CCD camera (Andor iXon 885-KCSVP)
containing 1003 pixels × 1004 pixels with an area of 8 × 8 mm2
each. The
40 m
–0.08
0
0.08
A B
C
K
K
x
Fig. 4. Bounding multipath interference. (A) Normalized Sorkin parameter k(x, ldB). (B) k(0, ldB), the normalized Sorkin parameter as a function of de Broglie
wavelength at the center of the m = 0 interference fringe. (C) k(x, 3.5 pm), the normalized Sorkin parameter as a function of transverse position on the detection
screen for a mean de Broglie wavelength of 3.5 pm. Each figure shows the average over five different experimental runs. In (B) and (C), black lines show the mean,
whereas shaded gray areas enclose the 1s SE. The spatial resolution in all figures is limited by the point-spread function of the imaging system, which is 1.6 mm,
approximately four pixels in the plane of the molecular detection screen.
S C I E N C E A D V A N C E S | R E S E A R C H A R T I C L E
Cotter et al., Sci. Adv. 2017;3:e1602478 11 August 2017 4 of 6
on
February
22,
2021
http://advances.sciencemag.org/
Downloaded
from
point spread function of the imaging system is about four times larger
than the size of a single pixel and limits our spatial resolution. We there-
fore averaged the two-dimensional (2D) interferograms over blocks of
4 pixels × 4 pixels.
Fluorescence photons were separated from the illumination light
using a 711-nm band-pass filter with a bandwidth of 25 nm and an
optical density of 7. Special care is taken to avoid saturation and non-
linear effects by having only thin layers of molecules deposited. On
average, each molecule contributes 1800 CCD counts (more details are
described in the Supplementary Materials).
Diffraction mask
The mask was fabricated into a 25-nm-thick amorphous carbon mem-
brane (Ted Pella). The slits were machined using a focused gallium ion
beam (Raith ionLine) with a kinetic energy of 35 kV, a one-dimensional
(1D) beam density of 48 × 103
pC/m, a current of 19.2 pA, and a dwell
time of 0.72 ms. During the writing process, the ion beam was translated
across the substrate in steps of 1 nm. The focused waist of the ion beam
is about 60 nm, requiring each individual subslit to be exposed twice to
realize a slit width of 80 nm.
The morphology of the maskwas investigated using TEM. The mask
extends over a height (y axis) of 958 mm and consists of four submasks:
M1 containing a single slit, M2 and M3 containing double slits, and M4
containing a triple slit. Each slit is 21 mm long and consists of a vertical
array of 19 subslits, separated from one another by 92(5)-mm-long
-support bars, which stabilize the mask and prevent deformations of
the ultrathin membrane. The submasks were separated from one an-
other by 300 mm to ensure that the diffraction patterns from neighbor-
ing slits do not overlap on the detection screen. The average width of the
subslits within a given slit varies by less than 1 nm for all slits (SD from
the 19 subslits). For submask M1, the opening width is 86(5) nm. For
submask M2, the opening widths are 75(5) and 81(5) nm with a sepa-
ration of 102(5) nm. For submask M3, the opening widths are 79(5) nm
and a = 82(5) nm, and their separation is 2d = 195(5) nm. For submask
M3, the opening widths are 78(5), 83(5), and 81(5) nm, with separations
of 97(5) and 98(5) nm. Here, error bars are the systematic uncertainty of
the electron microscope and are consistent with the statistical variations
we observed between slits. The 230:1 aspect ratio of the slits and their
large opening fraction, a/d = 0.8, helped increase the molecular trans-
mission and therefore signal to noise.
Analysis of diffraction patterns
All four submasks were exposed simultaneously to the molecular
beam. However, the limited field of view of the imaging system re-
quires eachinterference pattern to be imaged separately. To determine k
for a given experimental run, we first centered the individual images

N
ðaÞ
1 ðx; ldBÞ; N
ða;dÞ
2 ðx; ldBÞ; N
ða;2dÞ
2 ðx; ldBÞ;N
ða;dÞ
3 ðx; ldBÞ

withrespect
toeachother.Thehorizontalandverticalaxesofeachimagewerearranged
according to the center of the m = 0 interference fringe, corresponding to
x = 0, and the median velocity, respectively. We can align the transverse
position of each interference pattern with a precision better than 1 mm in
the plane of the detection screen and a vertical precision corresponding
to a de Broglie wavelength of 5 fm. Further details are shown in the
Supplementary Materials. The molecular velocity for a given vertical
pixel was determined from the separation, dx, between the m = ± 1
diffraction orders of the triple-slit diffraction pattern according to
v = 4pℏL2/Mddx.
The dark counts per pixel N0 were subtracted for each interfero-
gram individually. Within a given experimental run, the fractional
change in N0 between different interference patterns is less than
5 × 10−3
. Dark counts were determined by measuring the mean number
of counts detected in a square region of 50 pixels × 50 pixels where no
molecules are expected. The size and region used to estimate N0 affect
the measurement of k(x, ldB) by less than one part in 102
when the
region of interest is varied between 20 and 200 pixels. This is two
orders of magnitude smaller than the statistical uncertainty. The
precise position of the same region of interest relative to the center of
the interference pattern has a similarly small effect on the measure-
ment of k(x, ldB) when the distance is varied between about 700 and
900 pixels.
Surface interactions
Deviationsin the slit morphology alterthe position-dependent Casimir-
Polder interaction between individual molecules and the mask. This has
been studied in detail for matter-wave diffraction at material gratings,
including the effect of thermally populated rotational and vibrational
states on far-field diffraction (46, 47). For each slit, the interference pat-
tern recorded is the ensemble average over the entire phase-space dis-
tribution of the molecular beam and the mask. The modification to the
interference patterns are therefore negligible for our slits, which are ex-
tremely uniform—varying by less than 5 nm from slit to slit. In a pre-
vious work by Sinha et al. (35), the seven different interference patterns
necessary to measure e(x, ldB) were achieved by blocking slits using an
additional mask. In our apparatus, this is not possible because of the
extremely small opening apertures necessary for our matter waves,
which are typically 1000 times smaller than their optical counterparts.
In our interferometer, the additional blocking mask would need to be in
the vicinity of 100 nm of the diffraction mask, where the strong Casimir
interaction between the two masks would modify the transmission
function of the unblocked beams. At these short distances, fabrication
imperfections in the additional blocking mask would also contribute a
systematic distortion of the interference patterns, with a similar magni-
tude to deviations arising from the diffraction masks themselves.
SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIALS
Supplementary material for this article is available at http://advances.sciencemag.org/cgi/
content/full/3/8/e1602478/DC1
Diffraction mask
Molecule detection
Interference patterns
fig. S1. TEM images of the four submasks.
fig. S2. Intensity distribution of the 661-nm illumination light.
fig. S3. Surface migration of PcH2 molecules behind a grating with a period of 2 mm.
fig. S4. Molecule number as a function of detector position.
fig. S5. Raw data before dark count subtraction.
fig. S6. Determining molecular velocities from fringe spacing.
fig. S7. Reconstructing molecular velocity distributions.
REFERENCES AND NOTES
1. B. J. Bloom, T. L. Nicholson, J. R. Williams, S. L. Campbell, M. Bishof, X. Zhang, W. Zhang,
S. L. Bromley, J. Ye, An optical lattice clock with accuracy and stability at the 10–18
level.
Nature 506, 71–75 (2014).
2. F. Schmidt-Kaler, H. Häffner, M. Riebe, S. Gulde, G. P. T. Lancaster, T. Deuschle, C. Becher,
C. F. Roos, J. Eschner, R. Blatt, Realization of the Cirac-Zoller controlled-NOT quantum
gate. Nature 422, 408–411 (2003).
3. M. H. Devoret, R. J. Schoelkopf, Superconducting circuits for quantum information: An
outlook. Science 339, 1169–1174 (2013).
4. J. R. Maze, P. L. Stanwix, J. S. Hodges, S. Hong, J. M. Taylor, P. Cappellaro, L. Jiang,
M. V. G. Dutt, E. Togan, A. S. Zibrov, A. Yacoby, R. L. Walsworth, M. D. Lukin, Nanoscale
magnetic sensing with an individual electronic spin in diamond. Nature 455, 644–647 (2008).
S C I E N C E A D V A N C E S | R E S E A R C H A R T I C L E
Cotter et al., Sci. Adv. 2017;3:e1602478 11 August 2017 5 of 6
on
February
22,
2021
http://advances.sciencemag.org/
Downloaded
from
5. A. D. Cronin, J. Schmiedmayer, D. E. Pritchard, Optics and interferometry with atoms and
molecules. Rev. Mod. Phys. 81, 1051–1129 (2009).
6. G. M. Tino, M. A. Kasevich, Atom interferometry, in Proceedings of the International School
of Physics “Enrico Fermi” (IOS Press, 2014) chap. 1, pp. 1–87.
7. K. Hornberger, S. Gerlich, P. Haslinger, S. Nimmrichter, M. Arndt, Colloquium: Quantum
interference of clusters and molecules. Rev. Mod. Phys. 84, 157 (2012).
8. Many Worlds? Everett, Quantum Theory, and Reality, S. Saunders, J. Barrett, A. Kent,
D. Wallace, Eds. (Oxford Univ. Press, 2010).
9. A. Khrennikov, Towards violation of Born’s rule: Description of a simple experiment.
AIP Conf. Proc. 1327, 387 (2011).
10. M. F. Pusey, J. Barrett, T. Rudolph, On the reality of the quantum state.
Nat. Phys. 8, 475–478 (2012).
11. B. Dakić, T. Paterek, Č. Brukner, Density cubes and higher-order interference theories.
New J. Phys. 16, 023028 (2014).
12. M. Ringbauer, B. Duffus, C. Branciard, E. G. Cavalcanti, A. G. White, A. Fedrizzi,
Measurements on the reality of the wavefunction. Nat. Phys. 11, 249–254 (2015).
13. D. Nigg, T. Monz, P. Schindler, E. A. Martinez, M. Hennrich, R. Blatt, M. F. Pusey, T. Rudolph,
J. Barrett, Can different quantum state vectors correspond to the same physical state?
An experimental test. New J. Phys. 18, 013007 (2016).
14. D. Deutsch, Quantum theory of probability and decisions. Proc. R. Soc. A 455, 3129 (1999).
15. W. H. Zurek, Probabilities from entanglement, Born’s rule from envariance. Phys. Rev. A
71, 052105 (2005).
16. A. Gleason, Measures on the closed subspaces of a hilbert space. Indiana Univ. Math. J. 6,
885–893 (1957).
17. E. Joos, H. D. Zeh, The emergence of classical properties through interaction with the
environment. Z. Phys. B Con. Mat. 59, 223–243 (1985).
18. G. C. Ghirardi, A. Rimini, T. Weber, Unified dynamics for microscopic and macroscopic
systems. Phys. Rev. D 34, 470 (1986).
19. T. W. B. Kibble, S. Randjbar-Daemi, Non-linear coupling of quantum theory and classical
gravity. J. Phys. A Math. Gen. 13, 141 (1980).
20. L. Diósi, A universal master equation for the gravitational violation of quantum
mechanics. Phys. Lett. A 120, 377–381 (1987).
21. W. H. Zurek, Decoherence and the transition from quantum to classical. Phys. Today
44, 36–44 (1991).
22. R. Penrose, On gravity’s role in quantum state reduction. Gen. Relat. Gravit. 28, 581–600
(1996).
23. S. L. Adler, A. Bassi, Is quantum theory exact? Science 325, 275–276 (2009).
24. B. Mielnik, Generalized quantum mechanics. Commun. Math. Phys. 37, 221–256 (1974).
25. I. Bialynicki-Birula, J. Mycielski, Nonlinear wave mechanics. Ann. Phys. 100, 62–93 (1976).
26. A. Bassi, K. Lochan, S. Satin, T. P. Singh, H. Ulbricht, Models of wave-function collapse,
underlying theories, and experimental tests. Rev. Mod. Phys. 85, 471 (2013).
27. R. Gähler, A. G. Klein, A. Zeilinger, Neutron optical tests of nonlinear wave mechanics.
Phys. Rev. A 23, 1611 (1981).
28. C. Curceanu, B. C. Hiesmayr, K. Piscicchia, X-rays help to unfuzzy the concept of
measurement. J. Adv. Phys. 4, 263–266 (2015).
29. M. Arndt, K. Hornberger, Testing the limits of quantum mechanical superpositions.
Nat. Phys. 10, 271–277 (2014).
30. A. D. O’Connell, M. Hofheinz, M. Ansmann, R. C. Bialczak, M. Lenander, E. Lucero,
M. Neeley, D. Sank, H. Wang, M. Weides, J. Wenner, J. M. Martinis, A. N. Cleland,
Quantum ground
state and single-phonon control of a mechanical resonator. Nature 464, 697–703 (2010).
31. J. Chan, T. P. M. Alegre, A. H. Safavi-Naeini, J. T. Hill, A. Krause, S. Gröblacher,
M. Aspelmeyer, O. Painter, Laser cooling of a nanomechanical oscillator into its quantum
ground state. Nature 478, 89–92 (2011).
32. S. Eibenberger, S. Gerlich, M. Arndt, M. Mayor, J. Tüxen, Matter-wave interference of
particles selected from a molecular library with masses exceeding 10 000 amu.
Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 15, 14696–14700 (2013).
33. T. Kovachy, P. Asenbaum, C. Overstreet, C. A. Donnelly, S. M. Dickerson, A. Sugarbaker,
J. M. Hogan, M. A. Kasevich, Quantum superposition at the half-metre scale.
Nature 528, 530–533 (2015).
34. R. D. Sorkin, Quantum mechanics as quantum measure theory. Mod. Phys. Lett. A
9, 3119 (1994).
35. U. Sinha, C. Couteau, T. Jennewein, R. Laflamme, G. Weihs, Ruling out multi-order
interference in quantum mechanics. Science 329, 418–421 (2010).
36. I. Söllner, B. Gschösser, P. Mai, B. Pressl, Z. Vörös, G. Weihs, Testing Born’s rule in quantum
mechanics for three mutually exclusive events. Found. Phys. 42, 742–751 (2012).
37. T. Kauten, R. Keil, T. Kaufmann, B. Pressl, Č. Brukner, G. Weihs, Obtaining tight bounds on
higher-order interferences with a 5-path interferometer. New J. Phys. 19, 033017 (2017).
38. O. S. Magaña-Loaiza, I. De Leon, M. Mirhosseini, R. Fickler, A. Safari, U. Mick, B. McIntyre,
P. Banzer, B. Rodenburg, G. Leuchs, R. W. Boyd, Exotic looped trajectories of photons in
three-slit interference. Nat. Commun. 7, 13987 (2016).
39. J. M. Hickmann, E. J. S. Fonseca, A. J. Jesus-Silva, Born’s rule and the interference
of photons with orbital angular momentum by a triangular slit. EPL 96, 64006 (2011).
40. D. K. Park, O. Moussa, R. Laflamme, Three path interference using nuclear magnetic
resonance: A test of the consistency of Born’s rule. New J. Phys. 14, 113025 (2012).
41. T. Juffmann, A. Milic, M. Müllneritsch, P. Asenbaum, A. Tsukernik, J. Tüxen, M. Mayor,
O. Cheshnovsky, M. Arndt, Real-time single-molecule imaging of quantum interference.
Nat. Nanotechnol. 7, 297–300 (2012).
42. M. Arndt, K. Hornberger, A. Zeilinger, Probing the limits of the quantum world.
Phys. World 18, 35 (2005).
43. C. Brand, M. Sclafani, C. Knobloch, Y. Lilach, T. Juffmann, J. Kotakoski, C. Mangler,
A. Winter, A. Turchanin, J. Meyer, O. Cheshnovsky, M. Arndt, An atomically thin
matter-wave beamsplitter. Nat. Nanotechnol. 10, 845–848 (2015).
44. A. Sinha, A. H. Vijay, U. Sinha, On the superposition principle in interference experiments.
Sci. Rep. 5, 10304 (2015).
45. G. Rengaraj, U. Prathwiraj, S. N. Sahoo, R. Somashekhar, U. Sinha, Measuring the deviation
from the superposition principle in interference experiments. arXiv:1610.09143 (2016).
46. C. Brand, J. Fiedler, T. Juffmann, M. Sclafani, C. Knobloch, S. Scheel, Y. Lilach,
O. Cheshnovsky, M. Arndt, A Green’s function approach to modeling molecular diffraction
in the limit of ultra-thin gratings. Ann. Phys. 527, 580–591 (2015).
47. J. Fiedler, S. Scheel, Casimir-Polder potentials on extended molecules. Ann. Phys. 527,
570–579 (2015).
Acknowledgments: We thank B. Dakic and C. Brukner for helpful discussions and T. Susi for
help with the recording of TEM images. Funding: We are grateful for financial support
from the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) (W1210-3), the European Research Council (320694),
and the European Commission (304886). J.P.C. is supported by a Vienna Center for
Quantum Science and Technology fellowship. C.B. acknowledges support from the
Alexander von Humboldt-Foundation through a Feodor-Lynen fellowship. Author
contributions: J.P.C. and M.A. devised the experiment. Y.L. and O.C. prepared the
diffraction mask. C.B. and C.K. acquired the data. J.P.C. analyzed the data. All authors
discussed the results and contributed to the writing of the paper. Competing interests:
The authors declare that they have no competing interests. Data and materials
availability: All data needed to evaluate the conclusions in the paper are present in the
paper and/or the Supplementary Materials. Additional data related to this paper may
be requested from J.P.C. (joseph.cotter@univie.ac.at).
Submitted 12 October 2016
Accepted 6 July 2017
Published 11 August 2017
10.1126/sciadv.1602478
Citation: J. P. Cotter, C. Brand, C. Knobloch, Y. Lilach, O. Cheshnovsky, M. Arndt, In search of
multipath interference using large molecules. Sci. Adv. 3, e1602478 (2017).
S C I E N C E A D V A N C E S | R E S E A R C H A R T I C L E
Cotter et al., Sci. Adv. 2017;3:e1602478 11 August 2017 6 of 6
on
February
22,
2021
http://advances.sciencemag.org/
Downloaded
from
In search of multipath interference using large molecules
Joseph P. Cotter, Christian Brand, Christian Knobloch, Yigal Lilach, Ori Cheshnovsky and Markus Arndt
DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1602478
(8), e1602478.
3
Sci Adv
ARTICLE TOOLS http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/3/8/e1602478
MATERIALS
SUPPLEMENTARY http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/suppl/2017/08/07/3.8.e1602478.DC1
REFERENCES
http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/3/8/e1602478#BIBL
This article cites 44 articles, 3 of which you can access for free
PERMISSIONS http://www.sciencemag.org/help/reprints-and-permissions
Terms of Service
Use of this article is subject to the
is a registered trademark of AAAS.
Science Advances
York Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20005. The title
(ISSN 2375-2548) is published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, 1200 New
Science Advances
License 4.0 (CC BY-NC).
Science. No claim to original U.S. Government Works. Distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial
Copyright © 2017 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of
on
February
22,
2021
http://advances.sciencemag.org/
Downloaded
from

More Related Content

What's hot

Single photon sources and detectors
Single photon sources and detectorsSingle photon sources and detectors
Single photon sources and detectors
Gabriel O'Brien
 
Thesis defense
Thesis defenseThesis defense
Thesis defense
Sidney Burks, Ph.D
 
Spooky action from a distance
Spooky action from a distanceSpooky action from a distance
Spooky action from a distance
Eran Sinbar
 
42 Beam Asymmetry Σ of the π- Photoproduction off Neutron - International Jou...
42 Beam Asymmetry Σ of the π- Photoproduction off Neutron - International Jou...42 Beam Asymmetry Σ of the π- Photoproduction off Neutron - International Jou...
42 Beam Asymmetry Σ of the π- Photoproduction off Neutron - International Jou...
Cristian Randieri PhD
 
Characteristics_of_Muon_Decay_Full
Characteristics_of_Muon_Decay_FullCharacteristics_of_Muon_Decay_Full
Characteristics_of_Muon_Decay_FullSamuel Trubey
 
Detection of an_unidentified_emission_line_in_the_stacked_xray_spectrum_of_ga...
Detection of an_unidentified_emission_line_in_the_stacked_xray_spectrum_of_ga...Detection of an_unidentified_emission_line_in_the_stacked_xray_spectrum_of_ga...
Detection of an_unidentified_emission_line_in_the_stacked_xray_spectrum_of_ga...Sérgio Sacani
 
41 Limits on Light-Speed Anisotropies from Compton Scattering of High-Energy ...
41 Limits on Light-Speed Anisotropies from Compton Scattering of High-Energy ...41 Limits on Light-Speed Anisotropies from Compton Scattering of High-Energy ...
41 Limits on Light-Speed Anisotropies from Compton Scattering of High-Energy ...
Cristian Randieri PhD
 
An unindetified line_in_xray_spectra_of_the_adromeda_galaxy_and_perseus_galax...
An unindetified line_in_xray_spectra_of_the_adromeda_galaxy_and_perseus_galax...An unindetified line_in_xray_spectra_of_the_adromeda_galaxy_and_perseus_galax...
An unindetified line_in_xray_spectra_of_the_adromeda_galaxy_and_perseus_galax...Sérgio Sacani
 
The non gravitational_interactions_of_dark_matter_in_colliding_galaxy_clusters
The non gravitational_interactions_of_dark_matter_in_colliding_galaxy_clustersThe non gravitational_interactions_of_dark_matter_in_colliding_galaxy_clusters
The non gravitational_interactions_of_dark_matter_in_colliding_galaxy_clusters
Sérgio Sacani
 
Topology of charge density from pseudopotential density functional theory cal...
Topology of charge density from pseudopotential density functional theory cal...Topology of charge density from pseudopotential density functional theory cal...
Topology of charge density from pseudopotential density functional theory cal...
Alexander Decker
 
Structural, electronic, elastic, optical and thermodynamical properties of zi...
Structural, electronic, elastic, optical and thermodynamical properties of zi...Structural, electronic, elastic, optical and thermodynamical properties of zi...
Structural, electronic, elastic, optical and thermodynamical properties of zi...
Alexander Decker
 
Nonplanar-Ion-acoustic-Waves-in-a-Relativistically-Degenerate-Quantum-Plasma
Nonplanar-Ion-acoustic-Waves-in-a-Relativistically-Degenerate-Quantum-PlasmaNonplanar-Ion-acoustic-Waves-in-a-Relativistically-Degenerate-Quantum-Plasma
Nonplanar-Ion-acoustic-Waves-in-a-Relativistically-Degenerate-Quantum-PlasmaShiv Arjun
 
Basic and fundamental of quantum mechanics (Theory)
Basic and fundamental of quantum mechanics (Theory)Basic and fundamental of quantum mechanics (Theory)
Basic and fundamental of quantum mechanics (Theory)
Halavath Ramesh
 
45 Evidence for a narrow N* (1685) resonance in quasifree Compton scattering ...
45 Evidence for a narrow N* (1685) resonance in quasifree Compton scattering ...45 Evidence for a narrow N* (1685) resonance in quasifree Compton scattering ...
45 Evidence for a narrow N* (1685) resonance in quasifree Compton scattering ...
Cristian Randieri PhD
 
Effect of cr doping in structure and magneto transport properties of (la0.67 ...
Effect of cr doping in structure and magneto transport properties of (la0.67 ...Effect of cr doping in structure and magneto transport properties of (la0.67 ...
Effect of cr doping in structure and magneto transport properties of (la0.67 ...
Alexander Decker
 
Dynamics of Twointeracting Electronsinthree-Dimensional Lattice
Dynamics of Twointeracting Electronsinthree-Dimensional LatticeDynamics of Twointeracting Electronsinthree-Dimensional Lattice
Dynamics of Twointeracting Electronsinthree-Dimensional Lattice
IOSR Journals
 

What's hot (20)

Single photon sources and detectors
Single photon sources and detectorsSingle photon sources and detectors
Single photon sources and detectors
 
Thesis defense
Thesis defenseThesis defense
Thesis defense
 
Spooky action from a distance
Spooky action from a distanceSpooky action from a distance
Spooky action from a distance
 
42 Beam Asymmetry Σ of the π- Photoproduction off Neutron - International Jou...
42 Beam Asymmetry Σ of the π- Photoproduction off Neutron - International Jou...42 Beam Asymmetry Σ of the π- Photoproduction off Neutron - International Jou...
42 Beam Asymmetry Σ of the π- Photoproduction off Neutron - International Jou...
 
Report
ReportReport
Report
 
Characteristics_of_Muon_Decay_Full
Characteristics_of_Muon_Decay_FullCharacteristics_of_Muon_Decay_Full
Characteristics_of_Muon_Decay_Full
 
Detection of an_unidentified_emission_line_in_the_stacked_xray_spectrum_of_ga...
Detection of an_unidentified_emission_line_in_the_stacked_xray_spectrum_of_ga...Detection of an_unidentified_emission_line_in_the_stacked_xray_spectrum_of_ga...
Detection of an_unidentified_emission_line_in_the_stacked_xray_spectrum_of_ga...
 
41 Limits on Light-Speed Anisotropies from Compton Scattering of High-Energy ...
41 Limits on Light-Speed Anisotropies from Compton Scattering of High-Energy ...41 Limits on Light-Speed Anisotropies from Compton Scattering of High-Energy ...
41 Limits on Light-Speed Anisotropies from Compton Scattering of High-Energy ...
 
Aa16869 11
Aa16869 11Aa16869 11
Aa16869 11
 
An unindetified line_in_xray_spectra_of_the_adromeda_galaxy_and_perseus_galax...
An unindetified line_in_xray_spectra_of_the_adromeda_galaxy_and_perseus_galax...An unindetified line_in_xray_spectra_of_the_adromeda_galaxy_and_perseus_galax...
An unindetified line_in_xray_spectra_of_the_adromeda_galaxy_and_perseus_galax...
 
The non gravitational_interactions_of_dark_matter_in_colliding_galaxy_clusters
The non gravitational_interactions_of_dark_matter_in_colliding_galaxy_clustersThe non gravitational_interactions_of_dark_matter_in_colliding_galaxy_clusters
The non gravitational_interactions_of_dark_matter_in_colliding_galaxy_clusters
 
Topology of charge density from pseudopotential density functional theory cal...
Topology of charge density from pseudopotential density functional theory cal...Topology of charge density from pseudopotential density functional theory cal...
Topology of charge density from pseudopotential density functional theory cal...
 
Structural, electronic, elastic, optical and thermodynamical properties of zi...
Structural, electronic, elastic, optical and thermodynamical properties of zi...Structural, electronic, elastic, optical and thermodynamical properties of zi...
Structural, electronic, elastic, optical and thermodynamical properties of zi...
 
Nonplanar-Ion-acoustic-Waves-in-a-Relativistically-Degenerate-Quantum-Plasma
Nonplanar-Ion-acoustic-Waves-in-a-Relativistically-Degenerate-Quantum-PlasmaNonplanar-Ion-acoustic-Waves-in-a-Relativistically-Degenerate-Quantum-Plasma
Nonplanar-Ion-acoustic-Waves-in-a-Relativistically-Degenerate-Quantum-Plasma
 
Basic and fundamental of quantum mechanics (Theory)
Basic and fundamental of quantum mechanics (Theory)Basic and fundamental of quantum mechanics (Theory)
Basic and fundamental of quantum mechanics (Theory)
 
45 Evidence for a narrow N* (1685) resonance in quasifree Compton scattering ...
45 Evidence for a narrow N* (1685) resonance in quasifree Compton scattering ...45 Evidence for a narrow N* (1685) resonance in quasifree Compton scattering ...
45 Evidence for a narrow N* (1685) resonance in quasifree Compton scattering ...
 
apj_782_2_102
apj_782_2_102apj_782_2_102
apj_782_2_102
 
Effect of cr doping in structure and magneto transport properties of (la0.67 ...
Effect of cr doping in structure and magneto transport properties of (la0.67 ...Effect of cr doping in structure and magneto transport properties of (la0.67 ...
Effect of cr doping in structure and magneto transport properties of (la0.67 ...
 
Dynamics of Twointeracting Electronsinthree-Dimensional Lattice
Dynamics of Twointeracting Electronsinthree-Dimensional LatticeDynamics of Twointeracting Electronsinthree-Dimensional Lattice
Dynamics of Twointeracting Electronsinthree-Dimensional Lattice
 
Applided Physics Letters
Applided Physics LettersApplided Physics Letters
Applided Physics Letters
 

Similar to In search of multipath interference using large molecules

nanoscale xrd
nanoscale xrdnanoscale xrd
nanoscale xrdAun Ahsan
 
Detection of an_unidentified_emission_line_in_the_stacked_xray_spectrum_of_ga...
Detection of an_unidentified_emission_line_in_the_stacked_xray_spectrum_of_ga...Detection of an_unidentified_emission_line_in_the_stacked_xray_spectrum_of_ga...
Detection of an_unidentified_emission_line_in_the_stacked_xray_spectrum_of_ga...GOASA
 
Poster Physics@FOM
Poster Physics@FOMPoster Physics@FOM
Poster Physics@FOM
arjon
 
Dynamic light scattering
Dynamic light scatteringDynamic light scattering
Dynamic light scattering
VishalSingh1328
 
Characterization of nanoparticles
Characterization of nanoparticlesCharacterization of nanoparticles
Characterization of nanoparticles
upinderpalsingh2
 
Search for microscopic black hole signatures at the large hadron collider
Search for microscopic black hole signatures at the large hadron colliderSearch for microscopic black hole signatures at the large hadron collider
Search for microscopic black hole signatures at the large hadron colliderSérgio Sacani
 
Nenopartical optical sensors
Nenopartical optical sensorsNenopartical optical sensors
Nenopartical optical sensorsRam Niwas Bajiya
 
T zak nima2010
T zak nima2010T zak nima2010
T zak nima2010
tuanhsm
 
Aip pg book of abstracts
Aip pg book of abstractsAip pg book of abstracts
Aip pg book of abstractsSiddartha Verma
 
NEET Boost ypur Chemistry- Atomic structure.pdf
NEET Boost ypur Chemistry- Atomic structure.pdfNEET Boost ypur Chemistry- Atomic structure.pdf
NEET Boost ypur Chemistry- Atomic structure.pdf
chaitaligiri2029
 
Spatially adiabatic frequency conversion in opto-electro-mechanical arrays
Spatially adiabatic frequency conversion in opto-electro-mechanical arraysSpatially adiabatic frequency conversion in opto-electro-mechanical arrays
Spatially adiabatic frequency conversion in opto-electro-mechanical arrays
Ondrej Cernotik
 
Literature Survey LaTeX
Literature Survey LaTeXLiterature Survey LaTeX
Literature Survey LaTeXDaniel Hurley
 
Two dimensional nmr spectroscopy (practical application and spectral analysis
Two dimensional  nmr spectroscopy (practical application and spectral analysisTwo dimensional  nmr spectroscopy (practical application and spectral analysis
Two dimensional nmr spectroscopy (practical application and spectral analysis
Awad Albalwi
 
s41566-021-00813-y.pdf
s41566-021-00813-y.pdfs41566-021-00813-y.pdf
s41566-021-00813-y.pdf
MouhamadMotasABOKOUR
 
Study of semiconductor with positron
Study of semiconductor with positronStudy of semiconductor with positron
Study of semiconductor with positron
Manoranjan Ghosh
 
Laser lecture01
Laser lecture01Laser lecture01
Laser lecture 01
Laser lecture 01Laser lecture 01
DEVELOPMENT OF OPTICAL PARAMETER CALCULATIONS OF THE PROBES IN WATER
DEVELOPMENT OF OPTICAL PARAMETER CALCULATIONS OF THE PROBES IN WATERDEVELOPMENT OF OPTICAL PARAMETER CALCULATIONS OF THE PROBES IN WATER
DEVELOPMENT OF OPTICAL PARAMETER CALCULATIONS OF THE PROBES IN WATER
Dr. Ved Nath Jha
 

Similar to In search of multipath interference using large molecules (20)

nanoscale xrd
nanoscale xrdnanoscale xrd
nanoscale xrd
 
Detection of an_unidentified_emission_line_in_the_stacked_xray_spectrum_of_ga...
Detection of an_unidentified_emission_line_in_the_stacked_xray_spectrum_of_ga...Detection of an_unidentified_emission_line_in_the_stacked_xray_spectrum_of_ga...
Detection of an_unidentified_emission_line_in_the_stacked_xray_spectrum_of_ga...
 
Poster Physics@FOM
Poster Physics@FOMPoster Physics@FOM
Poster Physics@FOM
 
Dynamic light scattering
Dynamic light scatteringDynamic light scattering
Dynamic light scattering
 
Characterization of nanoparticles
Characterization of nanoparticlesCharacterization of nanoparticles
Characterization of nanoparticles
 
Search for microscopic black hole signatures at the large hadron collider
Search for microscopic black hole signatures at the large hadron colliderSearch for microscopic black hole signatures at the large hadron collider
Search for microscopic black hole signatures at the large hadron collider
 
Nenopartical optical sensors
Nenopartical optical sensorsNenopartical optical sensors
Nenopartical optical sensors
 
REU_paper
REU_paperREU_paper
REU_paper
 
T zak nima2010
T zak nima2010T zak nima2010
T zak nima2010
 
Aip pg book of abstracts
Aip pg book of abstractsAip pg book of abstracts
Aip pg book of abstracts
 
NEET Boost ypur Chemistry- Atomic structure.pdf
NEET Boost ypur Chemistry- Atomic structure.pdfNEET Boost ypur Chemistry- Atomic structure.pdf
NEET Boost ypur Chemistry- Atomic structure.pdf
 
Ijetcas14 318
Ijetcas14 318Ijetcas14 318
Ijetcas14 318
 
Spatially adiabatic frequency conversion in opto-electro-mechanical arrays
Spatially adiabatic frequency conversion in opto-electro-mechanical arraysSpatially adiabatic frequency conversion in opto-electro-mechanical arrays
Spatially adiabatic frequency conversion in opto-electro-mechanical arrays
 
Literature Survey LaTeX
Literature Survey LaTeXLiterature Survey LaTeX
Literature Survey LaTeX
 
Two dimensional nmr spectroscopy (practical application and spectral analysis
Two dimensional  nmr spectroscopy (practical application and spectral analysisTwo dimensional  nmr spectroscopy (practical application and spectral analysis
Two dimensional nmr spectroscopy (practical application and spectral analysis
 
s41566-021-00813-y.pdf
s41566-021-00813-y.pdfs41566-021-00813-y.pdf
s41566-021-00813-y.pdf
 
Study of semiconductor with positron
Study of semiconductor with positronStudy of semiconductor with positron
Study of semiconductor with positron
 
Laser lecture01
Laser lecture01Laser lecture01
Laser lecture01
 
Laser lecture 01
Laser lecture 01Laser lecture 01
Laser lecture 01
 
DEVELOPMENT OF OPTICAL PARAMETER CALCULATIONS OF THE PROBES IN WATER
DEVELOPMENT OF OPTICAL PARAMETER CALCULATIONS OF THE PROBES IN WATERDEVELOPMENT OF OPTICAL PARAMETER CALCULATIONS OF THE PROBES IN WATER
DEVELOPMENT OF OPTICAL PARAMETER CALCULATIONS OF THE PROBES IN WATER
 

More from Gabriel O'Brien

Quantum computation with superconductors
Quantum computation with superconductorsQuantum computation with superconductors
Quantum computation with superconductors
Gabriel O'Brien
 
Ion trap quantum computation
Ion trap quantum computationIon trap quantum computation
Ion trap quantum computation
Gabriel O'Brien
 
Entangled states of trapped atomic ions
Entangled states of trapped atomic ionsEntangled states of trapped atomic ions
Entangled states of trapped atomic ions
Gabriel O'Brien
 
Cold atoms trapped by nanostructures
Cold atoms trapped by nanostructuresCold atoms trapped by nanostructures
Cold atoms trapped by nanostructures
Gabriel O'Brien
 
Semiconductor qubits in practice
Semiconductor qubits in practiceSemiconductor qubits in practice
Semiconductor qubits in practice
Gabriel O'Brien
 
A silicon based nuclear spin quantum computer
A silicon based nuclear spin quantum computerA silicon based nuclear spin quantum computer
A silicon based nuclear spin quantum computer
Gabriel O'Brien
 
Spin qubits for quantum information processing
Spin qubits for quantum information processingSpin qubits for quantum information processing
Spin qubits for quantum information processing
Gabriel O'Brien
 
Quantum mechanical spin
Quantum mechanical spinQuantum mechanical spin
Quantum mechanical spin
Gabriel O'Brien
 
Quantum computer based on color centers in diamond
Quantum computer based on color centers in diamondQuantum computer based on color centers in diamond
Quantum computer based on color centers in diamond
Gabriel O'Brien
 
Electron spin resonance
Electron spin resonanceElectron spin resonance
Electron spin resonance
Gabriel O'Brien
 
Spin
SpinSpin
Fox m quantum_optics_an_introduction_photon antibunching1
Fox m quantum_optics_an_introduction_photon antibunching1Fox m quantum_optics_an_introduction_photon antibunching1
Fox m quantum_optics_an_introduction_photon antibunching1
Gabriel O'Brien
 
Fox m quantum_optics_an_introduction_optical cavities
Fox m quantum_optics_an_introduction_optical cavitiesFox m quantum_optics_an_introduction_optical cavities
Fox m quantum_optics_an_introduction_optical cavities
Gabriel O'Brien
 
Interaction of light and matter
Interaction of light and matterInteraction of light and matter
Interaction of light and matter
Gabriel O'Brien
 
Invited review article single photon sources and detectors
Invited review article single photon sources and detectorsInvited review article single photon sources and detectors
Invited review article single photon sources and detectors
Gabriel O'Brien
 
The electromagnetic field
The electromagnetic fieldThe electromagnetic field
The electromagnetic field
Gabriel O'Brien
 
Quantum entanglement
Quantum entanglementQuantum entanglement
Quantum entanglement
Gabriel O'Brien
 
Coherence
CoherenceCoherence
Coherence
Gabriel O'Brien
 
Introduction to quantum materials
Introduction to quantum materialsIntroduction to quantum materials
Introduction to quantum materials
Gabriel O'Brien
 
The birth of quantum mechanics canvas
The birth of quantum mechanics canvasThe birth of quantum mechanics canvas
The birth of quantum mechanics canvas
Gabriel O'Brien
 

More from Gabriel O'Brien (20)

Quantum computation with superconductors
Quantum computation with superconductorsQuantum computation with superconductors
Quantum computation with superconductors
 
Ion trap quantum computation
Ion trap quantum computationIon trap quantum computation
Ion trap quantum computation
 
Entangled states of trapped atomic ions
Entangled states of trapped atomic ionsEntangled states of trapped atomic ions
Entangled states of trapped atomic ions
 
Cold atoms trapped by nanostructures
Cold atoms trapped by nanostructuresCold atoms trapped by nanostructures
Cold atoms trapped by nanostructures
 
Semiconductor qubits in practice
Semiconductor qubits in practiceSemiconductor qubits in practice
Semiconductor qubits in practice
 
A silicon based nuclear spin quantum computer
A silicon based nuclear spin quantum computerA silicon based nuclear spin quantum computer
A silicon based nuclear spin quantum computer
 
Spin qubits for quantum information processing
Spin qubits for quantum information processingSpin qubits for quantum information processing
Spin qubits for quantum information processing
 
Quantum mechanical spin
Quantum mechanical spinQuantum mechanical spin
Quantum mechanical spin
 
Quantum computer based on color centers in diamond
Quantum computer based on color centers in diamondQuantum computer based on color centers in diamond
Quantum computer based on color centers in diamond
 
Electron spin resonance
Electron spin resonanceElectron spin resonance
Electron spin resonance
 
Spin
SpinSpin
Spin
 
Fox m quantum_optics_an_introduction_photon antibunching1
Fox m quantum_optics_an_introduction_photon antibunching1Fox m quantum_optics_an_introduction_photon antibunching1
Fox m quantum_optics_an_introduction_photon antibunching1
 
Fox m quantum_optics_an_introduction_optical cavities
Fox m quantum_optics_an_introduction_optical cavitiesFox m quantum_optics_an_introduction_optical cavities
Fox m quantum_optics_an_introduction_optical cavities
 
Interaction of light and matter
Interaction of light and matterInteraction of light and matter
Interaction of light and matter
 
Invited review article single photon sources and detectors
Invited review article single photon sources and detectorsInvited review article single photon sources and detectors
Invited review article single photon sources and detectors
 
The electromagnetic field
The electromagnetic fieldThe electromagnetic field
The electromagnetic field
 
Quantum entanglement
Quantum entanglementQuantum entanglement
Quantum entanglement
 
Coherence
CoherenceCoherence
Coherence
 
Introduction to quantum materials
Introduction to quantum materialsIntroduction to quantum materials
Introduction to quantum materials
 
The birth of quantum mechanics canvas
The birth of quantum mechanics canvasThe birth of quantum mechanics canvas
The birth of quantum mechanics canvas
 

Recently uploaded

GenAISummit 2024 May 28 Sri Ambati Keynote: AGI Belongs to The Community in O...
GenAISummit 2024 May 28 Sri Ambati Keynote: AGI Belongs to The Community in O...GenAISummit 2024 May 28 Sri Ambati Keynote: AGI Belongs to The Community in O...
GenAISummit 2024 May 28 Sri Ambati Keynote: AGI Belongs to The Community in O...
Sri Ambati
 
Epistemic Interaction - tuning interfaces to provide information for AI support
Epistemic Interaction - tuning interfaces to provide information for AI supportEpistemic Interaction - tuning interfaces to provide information for AI support
Epistemic Interaction - tuning interfaces to provide information for AI support
Alan Dix
 
PHP Frameworks: I want to break free (IPC Berlin 2024)
PHP Frameworks: I want to break free (IPC Berlin 2024)PHP Frameworks: I want to break free (IPC Berlin 2024)
PHP Frameworks: I want to break free (IPC Berlin 2024)
Ralf Eggert
 
To Graph or Not to Graph Knowledge Graph Architectures and LLMs
To Graph or Not to Graph Knowledge Graph Architectures and LLMsTo Graph or Not to Graph Knowledge Graph Architectures and LLMs
To Graph or Not to Graph Knowledge Graph Architectures and LLMs
Paul Groth
 
From Daily Decisions to Bottom Line: Connecting Product Work to Revenue by VP...
From Daily Decisions to Bottom Line: Connecting Product Work to Revenue by VP...From Daily Decisions to Bottom Line: Connecting Product Work to Revenue by VP...
From Daily Decisions to Bottom Line: Connecting Product Work to Revenue by VP...
Product School
 
FIDO Alliance Osaka Seminar: Passkeys at Amazon.pdf
FIDO Alliance Osaka Seminar: Passkeys at Amazon.pdfFIDO Alliance Osaka Seminar: Passkeys at Amazon.pdf
FIDO Alliance Osaka Seminar: Passkeys at Amazon.pdf
FIDO Alliance
 
Connector Corner: Automate dynamic content and events by pushing a button
Connector Corner: Automate dynamic content and events by pushing a buttonConnector Corner: Automate dynamic content and events by pushing a button
Connector Corner: Automate dynamic content and events by pushing a button
DianaGray10
 
Essentials of Automations: Optimizing FME Workflows with Parameters
Essentials of Automations: Optimizing FME Workflows with ParametersEssentials of Automations: Optimizing FME Workflows with Parameters
Essentials of Automations: Optimizing FME Workflows with Parameters
Safe Software
 
Builder.ai Founder Sachin Dev Duggal's Strategic Approach to Create an Innova...
Builder.ai Founder Sachin Dev Duggal's Strategic Approach to Create an Innova...Builder.ai Founder Sachin Dev Duggal's Strategic Approach to Create an Innova...
Builder.ai Founder Sachin Dev Duggal's Strategic Approach to Create an Innova...
Ramesh Iyer
 
JMeter webinar - integration with InfluxDB and Grafana
JMeter webinar - integration with InfluxDB and GrafanaJMeter webinar - integration with InfluxDB and Grafana
JMeter webinar - integration with InfluxDB and Grafana
RTTS
 
Designing Great Products: The Power of Design and Leadership by Chief Designe...
Designing Great Products: The Power of Design and Leadership by Chief Designe...Designing Great Products: The Power of Design and Leadership by Chief Designe...
Designing Great Products: The Power of Design and Leadership by Chief Designe...
Product School
 
Empowering NextGen Mobility via Large Action Model Infrastructure (LAMI): pav...
Empowering NextGen Mobility via Large Action Model Infrastructure (LAMI): pav...Empowering NextGen Mobility via Large Action Model Infrastructure (LAMI): pav...
Empowering NextGen Mobility via Large Action Model Infrastructure (LAMI): pav...
Thierry Lestable
 
Neuro-symbolic is not enough, we need neuro-*semantic*
Neuro-symbolic is not enough, we need neuro-*semantic*Neuro-symbolic is not enough, we need neuro-*semantic*
Neuro-symbolic is not enough, we need neuro-*semantic*
Frank van Harmelen
 
DevOps and Testing slides at DASA Connect
DevOps and Testing slides at DASA ConnectDevOps and Testing slides at DASA Connect
DevOps and Testing slides at DASA Connect
Kari Kakkonen
 
Mission to Decommission: Importance of Decommissioning Products to Increase E...
Mission to Decommission: Importance of Decommissioning Products to Increase E...Mission to Decommission: Importance of Decommissioning Products to Increase E...
Mission to Decommission: Importance of Decommissioning Products to Increase E...
Product School
 
The Art of the Pitch: WordPress Relationships and Sales
The Art of the Pitch: WordPress Relationships and SalesThe Art of the Pitch: WordPress Relationships and Sales
The Art of the Pitch: WordPress Relationships and Sales
Laura Byrne
 
GDG Cloud Southlake #33: Boule & Rebala: Effective AppSec in SDLC using Deplo...
GDG Cloud Southlake #33: Boule & Rebala: Effective AppSec in SDLC using Deplo...GDG Cloud Southlake #33: Boule & Rebala: Effective AppSec in SDLC using Deplo...
GDG Cloud Southlake #33: Boule & Rebala: Effective AppSec in SDLC using Deplo...
James Anderson
 
De-mystifying Zero to One: Design Informed Techniques for Greenfield Innovati...
De-mystifying Zero to One: Design Informed Techniques for Greenfield Innovati...De-mystifying Zero to One: Design Informed Techniques for Greenfield Innovati...
De-mystifying Zero to One: Design Informed Techniques for Greenfield Innovati...
Product School
 
Bits & Pixels using AI for Good.........
Bits & Pixels using AI for Good.........Bits & Pixels using AI for Good.........
Bits & Pixels using AI for Good.........
Alison B. Lowndes
 
State of ICS and IoT Cyber Threat Landscape Report 2024 preview
State of ICS and IoT Cyber Threat Landscape Report 2024 previewState of ICS and IoT Cyber Threat Landscape Report 2024 preview
State of ICS and IoT Cyber Threat Landscape Report 2024 preview
Prayukth K V
 

Recently uploaded (20)

GenAISummit 2024 May 28 Sri Ambati Keynote: AGI Belongs to The Community in O...
GenAISummit 2024 May 28 Sri Ambati Keynote: AGI Belongs to The Community in O...GenAISummit 2024 May 28 Sri Ambati Keynote: AGI Belongs to The Community in O...
GenAISummit 2024 May 28 Sri Ambati Keynote: AGI Belongs to The Community in O...
 
Epistemic Interaction - tuning interfaces to provide information for AI support
Epistemic Interaction - tuning interfaces to provide information for AI supportEpistemic Interaction - tuning interfaces to provide information for AI support
Epistemic Interaction - tuning interfaces to provide information for AI support
 
PHP Frameworks: I want to break free (IPC Berlin 2024)
PHP Frameworks: I want to break free (IPC Berlin 2024)PHP Frameworks: I want to break free (IPC Berlin 2024)
PHP Frameworks: I want to break free (IPC Berlin 2024)
 
To Graph or Not to Graph Knowledge Graph Architectures and LLMs
To Graph or Not to Graph Knowledge Graph Architectures and LLMsTo Graph or Not to Graph Knowledge Graph Architectures and LLMs
To Graph or Not to Graph Knowledge Graph Architectures and LLMs
 
From Daily Decisions to Bottom Line: Connecting Product Work to Revenue by VP...
From Daily Decisions to Bottom Line: Connecting Product Work to Revenue by VP...From Daily Decisions to Bottom Line: Connecting Product Work to Revenue by VP...
From Daily Decisions to Bottom Line: Connecting Product Work to Revenue by VP...
 
FIDO Alliance Osaka Seminar: Passkeys at Amazon.pdf
FIDO Alliance Osaka Seminar: Passkeys at Amazon.pdfFIDO Alliance Osaka Seminar: Passkeys at Amazon.pdf
FIDO Alliance Osaka Seminar: Passkeys at Amazon.pdf
 
Connector Corner: Automate dynamic content and events by pushing a button
Connector Corner: Automate dynamic content and events by pushing a buttonConnector Corner: Automate dynamic content and events by pushing a button
Connector Corner: Automate dynamic content and events by pushing a button
 
Essentials of Automations: Optimizing FME Workflows with Parameters
Essentials of Automations: Optimizing FME Workflows with ParametersEssentials of Automations: Optimizing FME Workflows with Parameters
Essentials of Automations: Optimizing FME Workflows with Parameters
 
Builder.ai Founder Sachin Dev Duggal's Strategic Approach to Create an Innova...
Builder.ai Founder Sachin Dev Duggal's Strategic Approach to Create an Innova...Builder.ai Founder Sachin Dev Duggal's Strategic Approach to Create an Innova...
Builder.ai Founder Sachin Dev Duggal's Strategic Approach to Create an Innova...
 
JMeter webinar - integration with InfluxDB and Grafana
JMeter webinar - integration with InfluxDB and GrafanaJMeter webinar - integration with InfluxDB and Grafana
JMeter webinar - integration with InfluxDB and Grafana
 
Designing Great Products: The Power of Design and Leadership by Chief Designe...
Designing Great Products: The Power of Design and Leadership by Chief Designe...Designing Great Products: The Power of Design and Leadership by Chief Designe...
Designing Great Products: The Power of Design and Leadership by Chief Designe...
 
Empowering NextGen Mobility via Large Action Model Infrastructure (LAMI): pav...
Empowering NextGen Mobility via Large Action Model Infrastructure (LAMI): pav...Empowering NextGen Mobility via Large Action Model Infrastructure (LAMI): pav...
Empowering NextGen Mobility via Large Action Model Infrastructure (LAMI): pav...
 
Neuro-symbolic is not enough, we need neuro-*semantic*
Neuro-symbolic is not enough, we need neuro-*semantic*Neuro-symbolic is not enough, we need neuro-*semantic*
Neuro-symbolic is not enough, we need neuro-*semantic*
 
DevOps and Testing slides at DASA Connect
DevOps and Testing slides at DASA ConnectDevOps and Testing slides at DASA Connect
DevOps and Testing slides at DASA Connect
 
Mission to Decommission: Importance of Decommissioning Products to Increase E...
Mission to Decommission: Importance of Decommissioning Products to Increase E...Mission to Decommission: Importance of Decommissioning Products to Increase E...
Mission to Decommission: Importance of Decommissioning Products to Increase E...
 
The Art of the Pitch: WordPress Relationships and Sales
The Art of the Pitch: WordPress Relationships and SalesThe Art of the Pitch: WordPress Relationships and Sales
The Art of the Pitch: WordPress Relationships and Sales
 
GDG Cloud Southlake #33: Boule & Rebala: Effective AppSec in SDLC using Deplo...
GDG Cloud Southlake #33: Boule & Rebala: Effective AppSec in SDLC using Deplo...GDG Cloud Southlake #33: Boule & Rebala: Effective AppSec in SDLC using Deplo...
GDG Cloud Southlake #33: Boule & Rebala: Effective AppSec in SDLC using Deplo...
 
De-mystifying Zero to One: Design Informed Techniques for Greenfield Innovati...
De-mystifying Zero to One: Design Informed Techniques for Greenfield Innovati...De-mystifying Zero to One: Design Informed Techniques for Greenfield Innovati...
De-mystifying Zero to One: Design Informed Techniques for Greenfield Innovati...
 
Bits & Pixels using AI for Good.........
Bits & Pixels using AI for Good.........Bits & Pixels using AI for Good.........
Bits & Pixels using AI for Good.........
 
State of ICS and IoT Cyber Threat Landscape Report 2024 preview
State of ICS and IoT Cyber Threat Landscape Report 2024 previewState of ICS and IoT Cyber Threat Landscape Report 2024 preview
State of ICS and IoT Cyber Threat Landscape Report 2024 preview
 

In search of multipath interference using large molecules

  • 1. Q U A N T U M M E C H A N I C S Copyright © 2017 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. No claim to original U.S. Government Works. Distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial License 4.0 (CC BY-NC). In search of multipath interference using large molecules Joseph P. Cotter,1 *† Christian Brand,1 Christian Knobloch,1 Yigal Lilach,2 Ori Cheshnovsky,2,3 Markus Arndt1 The superposition principle is fundamental to the quantum description of both light and matter. Recently, a number of experiments have sought to directly test this principle using coherent light, single photons, and nuclear spin states. We extend these experiments to massive particles for the first time. We compare the interference patterns arising from a beam of large dye molecules diffracting at single, double, and triple slit material masks to place limits on any high- order, or multipath, contributions. We observe an upper bound of less than one particle in a hundred deviating from the expectations of quantum mechanics over a broad range of transverse momenta and de Broglie wavelength. INTRODUCTION Many quantum technologies rely on the ability to prepare and manip- ulate the wave function y of a quantum object. For most applications, the advantage of quantum systems over their classical counterparts stems from the superposition principle—quantum states can be coher- ently split, simultaneously exploring larger regions of phase-space as they evolve than allowed classically. Typically, the information of inter- est is encoded in the relative phase difference between superpositions of quantum degrees of freedom, such as energy, spin, momentum, or po- sition. In practice, this phase difference is measured by recombining the superposition states to form an interferometer. Examples include atomic clocks (1), quantum processing devices (2, 3), magnetic sensors (4), and matter-wave interferometers using atoms (5, 6) and macro- molecules (7). The interpretation of the wave function continues to intrigue both theorists (8–11) and experimentalists (12, 13). Although it is not directly observable, it can be inferred from measurements of the probability density P using Born’s rule P ¼ y j j2 ð1Þ As long as the underlying quantum dynamics are linear, Eq. 1 can be derived from decision theory (14), entanglement (15), or measurements confined to closed Hilbert spaces (16). However, nonlinear extensions to quantum mechanics for massive objects (17–23), which are stimu- lated by the apparent absence of quantum phenomena in macroscopic systems, can, in principle, result in modifications to Born’s rule (24). This is somewhat akin to the breakdown of the superposition principle in nonlinear optics. Although some nonlinear extensions to quantum mechanics (25, 26) have been ruled out (27) or constrained by experi- ment (28), recent advances (29) in probing quantum phenomena in systems of increasing mass (30–32) or larger state separation (33) mo- tivate further experimental exploration. Sorkin (34) showed that the quadratic form of Born’s rule implies that no matter how many paths are accessible to a quantum object in configuration space, the probability of a particular outcome can always be decomposed into a series of terms containing at most two of the allowed paths. This insight has guided a number of recent experiments searching for multipath interference using coherent light and single photons (35–38), light carrying orbital angular momentum (39), and molecular spins in nu- clear magnetic resonance experiments (40). Here, we compare the interfer- ence patterns created by free-flying macromolecules behind single, double, and triple slits, providing an explicit test of multipath interference for the center-of-mass wave function of massive quanta. RESULTS Figure 1A shows the experimental layout. A vacuum window coated with a thin, homogeneous layer of phthalocyanine (PcH2) provides a source of molecules with a mass M = 515 atomic mass unit (amu). A tightly focused laser beam desorbs them, producing a molecular beam along z with a mean velocity v = 240 m/s and a full width at half max- imum Dv = 130 m/s. This corresponds to de Broglie wavelengths in the range of about ldB = 2.5 to 5.0 pm. After propagating a distance L1 = 1.55 m under high vacuum, the molecules impinge on a 25-nm–thick amorphous carbon mask containing a vertical array of one single, two double, and triple slits. The slits have an average transverse opening width of a = 80 nm. The double slits have periodicities d = 100 and 200 nm, and the triple slit has a periodicity of d = 100 nm. Figure 2 shows a transmission electron microscopy (TEM) image of a part of the triple slit (see Materials and Methods and the Supplementary Materials). The slits are arranged vertically above one another on the same substrate and are exposed to the molecular beam simultaneously. In this experiment, the transverse coherence length of the molecular beam at the mask 2ldBL1/Dx is limited by the size of the molecular source [Dx = 1.6(1) mm] and ranges from 5 to 10 mm. This exceeds the maximum transverse separation between slits in each mask by more than an order of magnitude. Behind the mask, the molecules propagate a further distance L2 = 0.58 m before they are adsorbed on a quartz plate where they are imaged using laser-induced fluorescence. Consider the three idealized slits illustrated in Fig. 1B. If the spatial coherence of a molecular beam encountering these apertures extends over all three slits, the final wave function is described by the coherent sum of the individual wave functions transiting each slit yABC ¼ yA þ yB þ yC ð2Þ 1 Faculty of Physics, Vienna Center for Quantum Science and Technology, University of Vienna, Boltzmanngasse 5, A-1090 Vienna, Austria. 2 Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Tel Aviv University, 69978 Tel Aviv, Israel. 3 School of Chemistry, Raymond and Beverly Faculty of Exact Sciences, Tel Aviv University, 69978 Tel Aviv, Israel. *Present address: Centre for Cold Matter, The Blackett Laboratory, Imperial Col- lege London, London SW7 2BW, UK. †Corresponding author. Email: j.cotter@imperial.ac.uk S C I E N C E A D V A N C E S | R E S E A R C H A R T I C L E Cotter et al., Sci. Adv. 2017;3:e1602478 11 August 2017 1 of 6 on February 22, 2021 http://advances.sciencemag.org/ Downloaded from
  • 2. This results in a probability density PABC = |yABC| = |yA + yB + yC|2 , which can be written in terms of one- and two-path interference con- tributions only as P′ ABC ¼ ðPAB þ PAC þ PBCÞ ðPA þ PB þ PCÞ ð3Þ Here, P′ ABC represents the probability density expected, according to Born’s rule, when all three paths are available. PAB is the measured prob- ability density when only paths A and B are open, PA applies when only path A is open, and so on. By comparing measured three-path interfer- ence patterns with a combination of one- and two-path patterns, one can therefore provide an upper bound to the contribution of multipath interference using Sorkin’s criterion (34) through a nonzero measure- ment of the dimensionless parameter eðx; ldBÞ ¼ PABC P′ ABC ¼ PABC ðPAB þ PAC þ PBCÞ þ ðPA þ PB þ PCÞ ð4Þ Here, x is the transverse position on the detection screen and ldB is the de Broglie wavelength of the interfering quanta. Within an experimental run, we deposit about 2 × 104 molecules in an area of the detection screen measuring 80 × 280 mm2 . This number density is sufficiently dilute, even in the densest regions, that Ng, the number of fluorescence photons detected, remains proportional to the number of molecules in a given region, N = aNg. According to Eq. 4, seven different interference patterns are required to place bounds on e(x, ldB). However, in this experiment, the interfer- ence patterns PAB and PBC are expected to differ only by a translation of 100 nm along x. This is two orders of magnitude smaller than the spatial separation of the diffraction fringes and below the limit of our spatial resolution. We can therefore simplify Eq. 4 as eðx; ldBÞ ¼ N ða;dÞ 3 ðx; ldBÞ 2N ða;dÞ 2 ðx; ldBÞ N ða;2dÞ 2 ðx; ldBÞ þ 3N ðaÞ 1 ðx; ldBÞ ð5Þ Here, N is the number of molecules, subscripts label the number of paths available, and superscripts denote the respective slit width and sep- aration. This simplification is valid because NA ≈ NB ≈ NC ¼ N ðaÞ 1 , NAB ≈ NBC ¼ N ða;dÞ 2 , NAC ¼ N ða;2dÞ 2 ; and NABC ¼ N ða;dÞ 3 . This allows only four submasks to be used: M1 with a single slit, M2 with two slits separated by d, M3 with two slits separated by 2d, and M4 with three slits separated by d. Figure 3 (A to D) shows typical fluorescence images for molecules diffracted at submasks M1 to M4 in a region of 80 × 280 mm2 . This region was chosen to be slightly larger than the single-slit diffraction pattern, which sets the natural length scale for these experiments. In all images, we observe a broad transverse distribution of molecules, consistent with a single-slit diffraction envelope. However, where more thanonepathisavailable,additionalfringes,consistentwithldB = xd/L2 , are observed. Here, m is an integer labeling the diffraction order, and we have made the small-angle approximation sin(q) ≈ q ≈ x/L2. Slower molecules have more time to fall as they travel from the source to the screen, resulting in larger separations between diffrac- tion orders than those of faster particles. The molecular velocity, and therefore the de Broglie wavelength, is encoded in the vertical posi- tion of molecules on the detection screen. Hence, we are able to post- select molecules with different de Broglie wavelengths after each experiment. Figure 3E shows the corresponding value of e(x, ldB) for the interference patterns shown in Fig. 3 (A to D) after subtrac- tion in accordance with Eq. 5. We see that the deviation from zero is typically at the one-molecule level or fewer. To compare results from different experimental runs as well as our values to earlier measurements with photons (35, 37, 40), we rescale B A Diffraction mask 1 2 3 4 H2 Pc Laser desorption 1 2 A B C A B C Fig. 1. Experimental setup. (A) Focused laser source produces a thermal beam of PcH2 molecules, which diffracts at a vertical array of single, double, and triple slits, which are aligned to the local gravitation field g, before landing on a thin quartz detection screen. The deposited molecules are observed using high- resolution fluorescence imaging. (B) Schematic of the triple slit. The openings (black) have a transverse width a = 80 nm, and their centers are separated by a distance d = 100 nm. Fig. 2. Diffraction mask. TEM image of a part of the M4 submask of the triple slit. The openings in the mask (white) are a = 80 nm wide and have a period of d = 100 nm. S C I E N C E A D V A N C E S | R E S E A R C H A R T I C L E Cotter et al., Sci. Adv. 2017;3:e1602478 11 August 2017 2 of 6 on February 22, 2021 http://advances.sciencemag.org/ Downloaded from
  • 3. e(x, ldB) by the total number of molecules detected for each de Broglie wavelength, Ntotal(ldB), within the triple-slit interference pattern kðx; ldBÞ ¼ eðx; ldBÞ NtotalðldBÞ ð6Þ This ratio compares the number of molecules that deviate from the pre- dictions of quantum mechanics to the total number of molecules de- tected for a given de Broglie wavelength and therefore provides a measure of any potential violation that is independent of the particle flux and integration time. Note that the precise definition of k varies throughout the existing literature. In many cases, it is the intensity of particles detected at the center of the interference pattern that is used. However, in far-field molecule interferometry, the interaction energy between the interfering particles and the diffractive element can alter the relative intensity of each diffraction order, resulting in species- and diffraction-dependent values of k. In contrast, the total number of molecules detected remains independent of the diffraction process at low energies. Figure 4A shows the normalized Sorkin parameter k(x, ldB) aver- aged over five experimental runs, each of which takes about 8 hours to accumulate. We see that any residual structure remaining in e(x, ldB) from Fig. 3E is greatly reduced by the combined action of averaging and normalizing to the total number of molecules detected. To produce this figure, we have combined the four interference patterns of Fig. 3 (A to D) in accordance with Eqs. 4 to 6. The absence of pronounced peaks qualitatively constrains multipath contributions to the interference patterns generated in our molecule interferometer. In a single measurement, we obtain interference patterns for parti- cles with de Broglie wavelengths spanning more than an entire octave as well as a broad range of transverse positions. More details relating to the conversion of vertical position on the charge-coupled device (CCD) camera to de Broglie wavelength can be found in Materials and Methods and the Supplementary Materials. To quantitatively constrain multipath interference, we focus on k recorded at the center of the zeroth diffraction fringe and a transverse slice with a de Broglie wavelength of 3.5 pm. Fig- ure 4 (B and C) shows k(0, ldB) and k(x, 3.5 pm) averaged over five ex- perimental runs. The black line depicts the mean value, with the shaded region illustrating the accompanying 1s SE. We see no significant de- viation of k from zero beyond our statistical uncertainty across the en- tire range of de Broglie wavelengths or transverse momenta probed. DISCUSSION Our molecular experiment provides a direct constraint on contributions to multipath interference using massive particles by comparing the inter- ference patterns resulting from single-, double-, and triple-slit experi- ments. Matter waves have a different dispersion relation than light, which has enabled us to place bounds on multipath interference across arange of deBroglie wavelengthsspanning morethanan octave,in addi- tiontoabroadrangeoftransversemomenta,inasingleexperimentalrun. We observe that, on average, less than one molecule in a hundred deviates from the coherent, Schrödinger description of quantum me- chanics when compared with the corresponding local number of mol- ecules of the same de Broglie wavelength in a triple-slit experiment. This results in an upper limit of |k|2 ≤ 10−2 across de Broglie wavelengths ranging from 2.5 to 5.0 pm and transverse positions ranging over 80 mm centered on the zeroth interference fringe. Unlike photons, which are detected destructively, here, the interfer- ing quanta are durable molecules that stick to a screen where they can be detected in a nondestructive manner, even days after deposition (41). Whether the wavelike description of quantum objects extends to higher masses (29, 42) remains an open question that motivates further experiments using larger, more massive, and complex particles. How- ever, the long integration time required to produce a single-molecule m = 0 A B C D N1 (a,d) N2 (a,2d) N2 (a,d) N3 (a) 0 10 20 Number of molecules –1 0 1 (number of molecules) E 40 m Fig. 3. Molecule diffraction patterns. Fluorescence images of molecules after diffraction at (A) a single slit, (B) a double slit with period 2d, (C) a double slit with period d, and (D) a triple slit with period d. Slower molecules fall further under gravity in the time it takes them to reach the screen. This results in a larger separation between diffraction orders further down the screen. All images are aligned vertically with respect to gravity. In (D), we have highlighted the center of the m = 0 fringe. (E) Sorkin parameter e(x, ldB) for the interference patterns (A to D) calculated in accordance with Eq. 5. S C I E N C E A D V A N C E S | R E S E A R C H A R T I C L E Cotter et al., Sci. Adv. 2017;3:e1602478 11 August 2017 3 of 6 on February 22, 2021 http://advances.sciencemag.org/ Downloaded from
  • 4. interference pattern limits our statistics, which are the dominant uncer- tainty in this experiment. Further progress hinges on the development of new sources for slow, cold, and collimated macromolecular, cluster, or nanoparticle beams. Direct tests of multipath interference using beams of molecules are best implemented in a single diffraction grating scheme, such as the one used in our present work. State-of-the-art material diffraction gratings have already reached their natural size limit, with masks as thin as a single atomic layer (43); further advances may therefore require optical gratings or new methods of producing effective slits for matter waves. High-order interference terms, resulting in finite values of k, are pre- dicted by quantum mechanics. These additional terms can be under- stood using the Feynman path integral approach, wherein nonlinear pathsalsoaddupconstructivelytocontributetothefinalinterferencepat- tern(44,45).Foratriple-slitexperiment,suchastheonepresentedhere,the maximum value of this multipath contribution scales as l 3=2 dB =ðad1=2 Þ. The relatively high mass of our interfering quanta, which are derived from a thermal source, results in a short de Broglie wavelength. This suppresses the multipath contribution to the interference patterns well below our current precision. However, matter-wave interferometry using cold, low-mass atoms, such as helium or lithium, can achieve very long de Broglie wavelengths and may be able to reach the necessary precision. MATERIALS AND METHODS Experimental design The experiment is housed in a 2.14-m-long vacuum chamber with a background pressure below 10−7 mbar (41). At this pressure, collisions with background gas can be safely neglected. Furthermore, collisions predominantly prevent the molecules from reaching the small detection region, whereby they reduce the count rate without affecting the shape of the diffraction patterns. Each experimental run took about 8 hours. Approximately 50 mg of PcH2 (M = 515 amu) was evaporated onto a CF100 vacuum window, resulting in a homogeneous layer, only a few micrometersthick (41). Evaporating molecules fromthe coated window using a tightly focused 60-mW laser beam with a wavelength of 421 nm produced a dilute molecular beam along z, with, on average, less than one molecule passing through the grating at any given time. Particles leave the surface from a circular spot with a diameter of Dx = 1.6(1) mm, measured using an optical microscope. The beam was replenished in situ by translating the window laterally to expose new regions of the surface to the laser beam. This ensures that the position of the beam relative to the diffraction mask remains fixed. After desorption, the molecules propagate a distance of L1 = 1.55 m before coherently illuminating the diffraction mask consisting of four sets of slits (M1 to M4). The an- gular spread of the molecular beam is well described by a cosine distribution, resulting in a flux of particles varying by 10−6 across the 0.6-mrad solid angle required to simultaneously illuminate all slits. The mask was positioned relative to the molecular beam with a pre- cision of 25 mm using an xy translation stage, and the slits were orien- tated with respect to gravity (y axis) to better than a few milliradians. After passing through, the mask molecules arrive at a quartz plate where they stick. The molecular diffraction patterns were then revealed by illuminating the quartz plate using a 661-nm laser and observing the resulting fluorescence from the deposited molecules. The illumination laser beam has a top-hat intensity distribution produced by reflecting a Gaussian beam from the surface of a spatial light modulator (SLM) before passing through a rotating ground-glass diffuser. Each interfer- ence pattern was imaged using a 20-s exposure, during which the SLM cycled through 100 different interference masks, averaging over the laser beam phase fronts, resulting in an average intensity that varies by a few percent over the entire region of interest. Fluorescence photons were collected using a 20× objective (Zeiss Ultrafluar), whichfocuses them onto an electron-multiplying CCD camera (Andor iXon 885-KCSVP) containing 1003 pixels × 1004 pixels with an area of 8 × 8 mm2 each. The 40 m –0.08 0 0.08 A B C K K x Fig. 4. Bounding multipath interference. (A) Normalized Sorkin parameter k(x, ldB). (B) k(0, ldB), the normalized Sorkin parameter as a function of de Broglie wavelength at the center of the m = 0 interference fringe. (C) k(x, 3.5 pm), the normalized Sorkin parameter as a function of transverse position on the detection screen for a mean de Broglie wavelength of 3.5 pm. Each figure shows the average over five different experimental runs. In (B) and (C), black lines show the mean, whereas shaded gray areas enclose the 1s SE. The spatial resolution in all figures is limited by the point-spread function of the imaging system, which is 1.6 mm, approximately four pixels in the plane of the molecular detection screen. S C I E N C E A D V A N C E S | R E S E A R C H A R T I C L E Cotter et al., Sci. Adv. 2017;3:e1602478 11 August 2017 4 of 6 on February 22, 2021 http://advances.sciencemag.org/ Downloaded from
  • 5. point spread function of the imaging system is about four times larger than the size of a single pixel and limits our spatial resolution. We there- fore averaged the two-dimensional (2D) interferograms over blocks of 4 pixels × 4 pixels. Fluorescence photons were separated from the illumination light using a 711-nm band-pass filter with a bandwidth of 25 nm and an optical density of 7. Special care is taken to avoid saturation and non- linear effects by having only thin layers of molecules deposited. On average, each molecule contributes 1800 CCD counts (more details are described in the Supplementary Materials). Diffraction mask The mask was fabricated into a 25-nm-thick amorphous carbon mem- brane (Ted Pella). The slits were machined using a focused gallium ion beam (Raith ionLine) with a kinetic energy of 35 kV, a one-dimensional (1D) beam density of 48 × 103 pC/m, a current of 19.2 pA, and a dwell time of 0.72 ms. During the writing process, the ion beam was translated across the substrate in steps of 1 nm. The focused waist of the ion beam is about 60 nm, requiring each individual subslit to be exposed twice to realize a slit width of 80 nm. The morphology of the maskwas investigated using TEM. The mask extends over a height (y axis) of 958 mm and consists of four submasks: M1 containing a single slit, M2 and M3 containing double slits, and M4 containing a triple slit. Each slit is 21 mm long and consists of a vertical array of 19 subslits, separated from one another by 92(5)-mm-long -support bars, which stabilize the mask and prevent deformations of the ultrathin membrane. The submasks were separated from one an- other by 300 mm to ensure that the diffraction patterns from neighbor- ing slits do not overlap on the detection screen. The average width of the subslits within a given slit varies by less than 1 nm for all slits (SD from the 19 subslits). For submask M1, the opening width is 86(5) nm. For submask M2, the opening widths are 75(5) and 81(5) nm with a sepa- ration of 102(5) nm. For submask M3, the opening widths are 79(5) nm and a = 82(5) nm, and their separation is 2d = 195(5) nm. For submask M3, the opening widths are 78(5), 83(5), and 81(5) nm, with separations of 97(5) and 98(5) nm. Here, error bars are the systematic uncertainty of the electron microscope and are consistent with the statistical variations we observed between slits. The 230:1 aspect ratio of the slits and their large opening fraction, a/d = 0.8, helped increase the molecular trans- mission and therefore signal to noise. Analysis of diffraction patterns All four submasks were exposed simultaneously to the molecular beam. However, the limited field of view of the imaging system re- quires eachinterference pattern to be imaged separately. To determine k for a given experimental run, we first centered the individual images N ðaÞ 1 ðx; ldBÞ; N ða;dÞ 2 ðx; ldBÞ; N ða;2dÞ 2 ðx; ldBÞ;N ða;dÞ 3 ðx; ldBÞ withrespect toeachother.Thehorizontalandverticalaxesofeachimagewerearranged according to the center of the m = 0 interference fringe, corresponding to x = 0, and the median velocity, respectively. We can align the transverse position of each interference pattern with a precision better than 1 mm in the plane of the detection screen and a vertical precision corresponding to a de Broglie wavelength of 5 fm. Further details are shown in the Supplementary Materials. The molecular velocity for a given vertical pixel was determined from the separation, dx, between the m = ± 1 diffraction orders of the triple-slit diffraction pattern according to v = 4pℏL2/Mddx. The dark counts per pixel N0 were subtracted for each interfero- gram individually. Within a given experimental run, the fractional change in N0 between different interference patterns is less than 5 × 10−3 . Dark counts were determined by measuring the mean number of counts detected in a square region of 50 pixels × 50 pixels where no molecules are expected. The size and region used to estimate N0 affect the measurement of k(x, ldB) by less than one part in 102 when the region of interest is varied between 20 and 200 pixels. This is two orders of magnitude smaller than the statistical uncertainty. The precise position of the same region of interest relative to the center of the interference pattern has a similarly small effect on the measure- ment of k(x, ldB) when the distance is varied between about 700 and 900 pixels. Surface interactions Deviationsin the slit morphology alterthe position-dependent Casimir- Polder interaction between individual molecules and the mask. This has been studied in detail for matter-wave diffraction at material gratings, including the effect of thermally populated rotational and vibrational states on far-field diffraction (46, 47). For each slit, the interference pat- tern recorded is the ensemble average over the entire phase-space dis- tribution of the molecular beam and the mask. The modification to the interference patterns are therefore negligible for our slits, which are ex- tremely uniform—varying by less than 5 nm from slit to slit. In a pre- vious work by Sinha et al. (35), the seven different interference patterns necessary to measure e(x, ldB) were achieved by blocking slits using an additional mask. In our apparatus, this is not possible because of the extremely small opening apertures necessary for our matter waves, which are typically 1000 times smaller than their optical counterparts. In our interferometer, the additional blocking mask would need to be in the vicinity of 100 nm of the diffraction mask, where the strong Casimir interaction between the two masks would modify the transmission function of the unblocked beams. At these short distances, fabrication imperfections in the additional blocking mask would also contribute a systematic distortion of the interference patterns, with a similar magni- tude to deviations arising from the diffraction masks themselves. SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIALS Supplementary material for this article is available at http://advances.sciencemag.org/cgi/ content/full/3/8/e1602478/DC1 Diffraction mask Molecule detection Interference patterns fig. S1. TEM images of the four submasks. fig. S2. Intensity distribution of the 661-nm illumination light. fig. S3. Surface migration of PcH2 molecules behind a grating with a period of 2 mm. fig. S4. Molecule number as a function of detector position. fig. S5. Raw data before dark count subtraction. fig. S6. Determining molecular velocities from fringe spacing. fig. S7. Reconstructing molecular velocity distributions. REFERENCES AND NOTES 1. B. J. Bloom, T. L. Nicholson, J. R. Williams, S. L. Campbell, M. Bishof, X. Zhang, W. Zhang, S. L. Bromley, J. Ye, An optical lattice clock with accuracy and stability at the 10–18 level. Nature 506, 71–75 (2014). 2. F. Schmidt-Kaler, H. Häffner, M. Riebe, S. Gulde, G. P. T. Lancaster, T. Deuschle, C. Becher, C. F. Roos, J. Eschner, R. Blatt, Realization of the Cirac-Zoller controlled-NOT quantum gate. Nature 422, 408–411 (2003). 3. M. H. Devoret, R. J. Schoelkopf, Superconducting circuits for quantum information: An outlook. Science 339, 1169–1174 (2013). 4. J. R. Maze, P. L. Stanwix, J. S. Hodges, S. Hong, J. M. Taylor, P. Cappellaro, L. Jiang, M. V. G. Dutt, E. Togan, A. S. Zibrov, A. Yacoby, R. L. Walsworth, M. D. Lukin, Nanoscale magnetic sensing with an individual electronic spin in diamond. Nature 455, 644–647 (2008). S C I E N C E A D V A N C E S | R E S E A R C H A R T I C L E Cotter et al., Sci. Adv. 2017;3:e1602478 11 August 2017 5 of 6 on February 22, 2021 http://advances.sciencemag.org/ Downloaded from
  • 6. 5. A. D. Cronin, J. Schmiedmayer, D. E. Pritchard, Optics and interferometry with atoms and molecules. Rev. Mod. Phys. 81, 1051–1129 (2009). 6. G. M. Tino, M. A. Kasevich, Atom interferometry, in Proceedings of the International School of Physics “Enrico Fermi” (IOS Press, 2014) chap. 1, pp. 1–87. 7. K. Hornberger, S. Gerlich, P. Haslinger, S. Nimmrichter, M. Arndt, Colloquium: Quantum interference of clusters and molecules. Rev. Mod. Phys. 84, 157 (2012). 8. Many Worlds? Everett, Quantum Theory, and Reality, S. Saunders, J. Barrett, A. Kent, D. Wallace, Eds. (Oxford Univ. Press, 2010). 9. A. Khrennikov, Towards violation of Born’s rule: Description of a simple experiment. AIP Conf. Proc. 1327, 387 (2011). 10. M. F. Pusey, J. Barrett, T. Rudolph, On the reality of the quantum state. Nat. Phys. 8, 475–478 (2012). 11. B. Dakić, T. Paterek, Č. Brukner, Density cubes and higher-order interference theories. New J. Phys. 16, 023028 (2014). 12. M. Ringbauer, B. Duffus, C. Branciard, E. G. Cavalcanti, A. G. White, A. Fedrizzi, Measurements on the reality of the wavefunction. Nat. Phys. 11, 249–254 (2015). 13. D. Nigg, T. Monz, P. Schindler, E. A. Martinez, M. Hennrich, R. Blatt, M. F. Pusey, T. Rudolph, J. Barrett, Can different quantum state vectors correspond to the same physical state? An experimental test. New J. Phys. 18, 013007 (2016). 14. D. Deutsch, Quantum theory of probability and decisions. Proc. R. Soc. A 455, 3129 (1999). 15. W. H. Zurek, Probabilities from entanglement, Born’s rule from envariance. Phys. Rev. A 71, 052105 (2005). 16. A. Gleason, Measures on the closed subspaces of a hilbert space. Indiana Univ. Math. J. 6, 885–893 (1957). 17. E. Joos, H. D. Zeh, The emergence of classical properties through interaction with the environment. Z. Phys. B Con. Mat. 59, 223–243 (1985). 18. G. C. Ghirardi, A. Rimini, T. Weber, Unified dynamics for microscopic and macroscopic systems. Phys. Rev. D 34, 470 (1986). 19. T. W. B. Kibble, S. Randjbar-Daemi, Non-linear coupling of quantum theory and classical gravity. J. Phys. A Math. Gen. 13, 141 (1980). 20. L. Diósi, A universal master equation for the gravitational violation of quantum mechanics. Phys. Lett. A 120, 377–381 (1987). 21. W. H. Zurek, Decoherence and the transition from quantum to classical. Phys. Today 44, 36–44 (1991). 22. R. Penrose, On gravity’s role in quantum state reduction. Gen. Relat. Gravit. 28, 581–600 (1996). 23. S. L. Adler, A. Bassi, Is quantum theory exact? Science 325, 275–276 (2009). 24. B. Mielnik, Generalized quantum mechanics. Commun. Math. Phys. 37, 221–256 (1974). 25. I. Bialynicki-Birula, J. Mycielski, Nonlinear wave mechanics. Ann. Phys. 100, 62–93 (1976). 26. A. Bassi, K. Lochan, S. Satin, T. P. Singh, H. Ulbricht, Models of wave-function collapse, underlying theories, and experimental tests. Rev. Mod. Phys. 85, 471 (2013). 27. R. Gähler, A. G. Klein, A. Zeilinger, Neutron optical tests of nonlinear wave mechanics. Phys. Rev. A 23, 1611 (1981). 28. C. Curceanu, B. C. Hiesmayr, K. Piscicchia, X-rays help to unfuzzy the concept of measurement. J. Adv. Phys. 4, 263–266 (2015). 29. M. Arndt, K. Hornberger, Testing the limits of quantum mechanical superpositions. Nat. Phys. 10, 271–277 (2014). 30. A. D. O’Connell, M. Hofheinz, M. Ansmann, R. C. Bialczak, M. Lenander, E. Lucero, M. Neeley, D. Sank, H. Wang, M. Weides, J. Wenner, J. M. Martinis, A. N. Cleland, Quantum ground state and single-phonon control of a mechanical resonator. Nature 464, 697–703 (2010). 31. J. Chan, T. P. M. Alegre, A. H. Safavi-Naeini, J. T. Hill, A. Krause, S. Gröblacher, M. Aspelmeyer, O. Painter, Laser cooling of a nanomechanical oscillator into its quantum ground state. Nature 478, 89–92 (2011). 32. S. Eibenberger, S. Gerlich, M. Arndt, M. Mayor, J. Tüxen, Matter-wave interference of particles selected from a molecular library with masses exceeding 10 000 amu. Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 15, 14696–14700 (2013). 33. T. Kovachy, P. Asenbaum, C. Overstreet, C. A. Donnelly, S. M. Dickerson, A. Sugarbaker, J. M. Hogan, M. A. Kasevich, Quantum superposition at the half-metre scale. Nature 528, 530–533 (2015). 34. R. D. Sorkin, Quantum mechanics as quantum measure theory. Mod. Phys. Lett. A 9, 3119 (1994). 35. U. Sinha, C. Couteau, T. Jennewein, R. Laflamme, G. Weihs, Ruling out multi-order interference in quantum mechanics. Science 329, 418–421 (2010). 36. I. Söllner, B. Gschösser, P. Mai, B. Pressl, Z. Vörös, G. Weihs, Testing Born’s rule in quantum mechanics for three mutually exclusive events. Found. Phys. 42, 742–751 (2012). 37. T. Kauten, R. Keil, T. Kaufmann, B. Pressl, Č. Brukner, G. Weihs, Obtaining tight bounds on higher-order interferences with a 5-path interferometer. New J. Phys. 19, 033017 (2017). 38. O. S. Magaña-Loaiza, I. De Leon, M. Mirhosseini, R. Fickler, A. Safari, U. Mick, B. McIntyre, P. Banzer, B. Rodenburg, G. Leuchs, R. W. Boyd, Exotic looped trajectories of photons in three-slit interference. Nat. Commun. 7, 13987 (2016). 39. J. M. Hickmann, E. J. S. Fonseca, A. J. Jesus-Silva, Born’s rule and the interference of photons with orbital angular momentum by a triangular slit. EPL 96, 64006 (2011). 40. D. K. Park, O. Moussa, R. Laflamme, Three path interference using nuclear magnetic resonance: A test of the consistency of Born’s rule. New J. Phys. 14, 113025 (2012). 41. T. Juffmann, A. Milic, M. Müllneritsch, P. Asenbaum, A. Tsukernik, J. Tüxen, M. Mayor, O. Cheshnovsky, M. Arndt, Real-time single-molecule imaging of quantum interference. Nat. Nanotechnol. 7, 297–300 (2012). 42. M. Arndt, K. Hornberger, A. Zeilinger, Probing the limits of the quantum world. Phys. World 18, 35 (2005). 43. C. Brand, M. Sclafani, C. Knobloch, Y. Lilach, T. Juffmann, J. Kotakoski, C. Mangler, A. Winter, A. Turchanin, J. Meyer, O. Cheshnovsky, M. Arndt, An atomically thin matter-wave beamsplitter. Nat. Nanotechnol. 10, 845–848 (2015). 44. A. Sinha, A. H. Vijay, U. Sinha, On the superposition principle in interference experiments. Sci. Rep. 5, 10304 (2015). 45. G. Rengaraj, U. Prathwiraj, S. N. Sahoo, R. Somashekhar, U. Sinha, Measuring the deviation from the superposition principle in interference experiments. arXiv:1610.09143 (2016). 46. C. Brand, J. Fiedler, T. Juffmann, M. Sclafani, C. Knobloch, S. Scheel, Y. Lilach, O. Cheshnovsky, M. Arndt, A Green’s function approach to modeling molecular diffraction in the limit of ultra-thin gratings. Ann. Phys. 527, 580–591 (2015). 47. J. Fiedler, S. Scheel, Casimir-Polder potentials on extended molecules. Ann. Phys. 527, 570–579 (2015). Acknowledgments: We thank B. Dakic and C. Brukner for helpful discussions and T. Susi for help with the recording of TEM images. Funding: We are grateful for financial support from the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) (W1210-3), the European Research Council (320694), and the European Commission (304886). J.P.C. is supported by a Vienna Center for Quantum Science and Technology fellowship. C.B. acknowledges support from the Alexander von Humboldt-Foundation through a Feodor-Lynen fellowship. Author contributions: J.P.C. and M.A. devised the experiment. Y.L. and O.C. prepared the diffraction mask. C.B. and C.K. acquired the data. J.P.C. analyzed the data. All authors discussed the results and contributed to the writing of the paper. Competing interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests. Data and materials availability: All data needed to evaluate the conclusions in the paper are present in the paper and/or the Supplementary Materials. Additional data related to this paper may be requested from J.P.C. (joseph.cotter@univie.ac.at). Submitted 12 October 2016 Accepted 6 July 2017 Published 11 August 2017 10.1126/sciadv.1602478 Citation: J. P. Cotter, C. Brand, C. Knobloch, Y. Lilach, O. Cheshnovsky, M. Arndt, In search of multipath interference using large molecules. Sci. Adv. 3, e1602478 (2017). S C I E N C E A D V A N C E S | R E S E A R C H A R T I C L E Cotter et al., Sci. Adv. 2017;3:e1602478 11 August 2017 6 of 6 on February 22, 2021 http://advances.sciencemag.org/ Downloaded from
  • 7. In search of multipath interference using large molecules Joseph P. Cotter, Christian Brand, Christian Knobloch, Yigal Lilach, Ori Cheshnovsky and Markus Arndt DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1602478 (8), e1602478. 3 Sci Adv ARTICLE TOOLS http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/3/8/e1602478 MATERIALS SUPPLEMENTARY http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/suppl/2017/08/07/3.8.e1602478.DC1 REFERENCES http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/3/8/e1602478#BIBL This article cites 44 articles, 3 of which you can access for free PERMISSIONS http://www.sciencemag.org/help/reprints-and-permissions Terms of Service Use of this article is subject to the is a registered trademark of AAAS. Science Advances York Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20005. The title (ISSN 2375-2548) is published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, 1200 New Science Advances License 4.0 (CC BY-NC). Science. No claim to original U.S. Government Works. Distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial Copyright © 2017 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of on February 22, 2021 http://advances.sciencemag.org/ Downloaded from