Diffraction of atomic matter waves through a 2D crystal

Abstract: Interferometry of atomic matter waves is an essential tool in fundamental sciences [1-5] and for applied quantum sensors [6-10]. The sensitivity of interferometers scales with the momentum separation of the diffracted matter waves, leading to the development of large-momentum transfer beam splitters [11,12]. However, despite decades of research, crystalline gratings used since the first atomic diffraction experiments are still unmatched regarding momentum transfer [13]. So far, diffraction through such gratings has only been reported for subatomic particles, but never for atoms. Here, we answer to this century-old challenge by demonstrating diffraction of helium and hydrogen atoms at kiloelectronvolt energies through single-layer graphene at normal incidence. Despite the atoms' high kinetic energy and coupling to the electronic system of graphene, we observe diffraction patterns featuring coherent scattering of up to eight reciprocal lattice vectors. Diffraction in this regime is possible due to the short interaction time of the projectile with the atomically-thin crystal, limiting the momentum transfer to the grating. Our demonstration is the atomic counterpart of the first transmission experiments with electrons by Thomson and Reid [14,15], unlocking new potentials in atom diffraction. We expect our findings to inspire studies of decoherence in an uncharted energy regime and the development of new matter-wave-based sensors.