Theory of Atom Optics: Feynman’s Path Integral Approach

The present theory of atom optics is established mainly on the Schrödinger equations or the matrix mechanics equation. The authors present a new theoretical formulation of atom optics: Feynman’s path integral theory. Its advantage is that one can describe the diffraction and interference of atoms passing through slits (or grating), apertures, and standing wave laser field in Earth’s gravitational field by using a type of wave function and calculation is simple. For this reason, we derive the wave functions of particles in the following configurations: single slit (and slit with the van der Waals interaction), double slit, N slit, rectangular aperture, circular aperture, the Mach-Zehnder-type interferometer, the interferometer with the Raman beams, the Sagnac effect, the Aharonov-Casher effect, the Kapitza-Dirac diffraction effect, and the Aharonov-Bohm effect. The authors give a wave function of the state of particles on the screen in abovementioned configurations. Our formulas show good agreement with present experimental measurements.