Abstract

Matter wave interferometers offer the possibility of high precision metrology, measurements of small internal couplings or the influence of rotations and topological phases. Usually these experiments make use of the internal degrees of freedom of the particles, in particular their electronic states. We will widen this scope by using the K₂ molecule with its rotational and vibrational levels, which should be, for example, sensitive to weak influences like collisions with other particles. Such effects by collisions on atomic and molecular matter waves were already observed and can be interpreted as an index of refraction [1].

© 2000 IEEE