Abstract

We demonstrate a coherent atomic beam splitter for metastable helium atoms, based on the diffraction of atomic matter waves from a blazed phase grating. The beam splitter is created by driving the two transitions of a three-level V system with differentially detuned standing light waves that have a relative spatial phase shift of π/2. The light fields create a potential that is approximately triangular as a function of position in the laser field. Splittings of 38 times the photon momentum have been observed.

© 1995 Optical Society of America

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