Polarizability measurements in a molecule near - field interferometer

We present a method for measuring the scalar polarizability of molecules by means of near-field matter-wave interferometry. This technique is applicable to a wide range of complex neutral molecules. A key feature of our experiment is the combination of good transmission and high spatial resolution, gained by imprinting a submicrometer spatial modulation onto a wide molecular beam. Our method significantly improves the measurement sensitivity of the polarizability-dependent shifts. We have successfully performed measurements on fullerenes and report the polarizability to be =88.9±0.9±5.1  Å³ for C₆₀ and =108.5±2.0±6.2  Å³ for C₇₀.

Martin Berninger, André Stefanov, Sarayut Deachapunya and Markus Arndt

Phys. Rev. A. 76, 013607 (2007)