ABSTRACT:
In the recent years, diffraction and interference experiments with mater waves have attracted growing attention due to their unique suitability for high precision measurements and study of fundamental aspects of quantum theory. In optics, diffraction is typically portrayed as deflection of light incident upon an obstacle with sharp boundaries, that can not be accounted for by reflection or refraction. Interestingly, quantum mechanics allows for an additional, intrinsically time-dependent manifestation of the phenomenon: Owing to the dispersive nature of quantum matter waves, sudden changes in boundary conditions may cause the particle wave function to develop interference fringes akin to those in stationary (optical) diffraction problems. This phenomenon, pioneered in 1952 by Moshinsky [Phys. Rev. 88, 625 (1952)] and presently referred to as “diffraction in time”, is at the heart of a vibrant area of experimental and theoretical research concerned with quantum transients. In my talk, I will introduce a new versatile exactly-solvable model of diffraction in time. The model aims to describe dynamics of an arbitrary quantum state in the presence of an absorbing time-dependent barrier characterized by an arbitrary aperture function. The model enables a quantitative description of diffraction and interference patterns in a large variety of setups, and is expected to prove useful in the areas of coherent quantum control, quantum metrology, and, more generally, in exploring foundations of quantum physics.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Arseni’s research focuses on three areas of applied mathematics and theoretical physics: (1) dynamics of quantum wave packets and quantum chaos, (2) nanomagnetism and spintronics, and (3) mathematical theory of chemical reactions.
http://www.northumbria.ac.uk/sd/academic/ee/staff/arseni_goussev