dorsal/arxiv
View SchemaA causal look into the quantum Talbot effect
| Authors | A. S. Sanz, S. Miret-Artes |
|---|---|
| Categories | |
| ArXiv ID | quant-ph/0702224 |
| URL | https://arxiv.org/abs/quant-ph/0702224 |
| DOI | 10.1063/1.2741555 |
| Journal | J. Chem. Phys. 126, 234106 (2007) |
Abstract
A well-known phenomenon in both optics and quantum mechanics is the so-called Talbot effect. This near field interference effect arises when infinitely periodic diffracting structures or gratings are illuminated by highly coherent light or particle beams. Typical diffraction patterns known as quantum carpets are then observed. Here the authors provide an insightful picture of this nonlocal phenomenon as well as its classical limit in terms of Bohmian mechanics, also showing the causal reasons and conditions that explain its appearance. As an illustration, theoretical results obtained from diffraction of thermal He atoms by both N-slit arrays and weak corrugated surfaces are analyzed and discussed. Moreover, the authors also explain in terms of what they call the Talbot-Beeby effect how realistic interaction potentials induce shifts and distortions in the corresponding quantum carpets.
{
"annotation_id": "bceee633-8544-413b-84c8-ef0c5dc591a8",
"date_created": "2026-03-02T18:02:33.701000Z",
"date_modified": "2026-03-02T18:02:33.701000Z",
"file_hash": "d0c787c49131bcdb2116da765ae5b900106391dea6d4e4c2379ea78010d0ba57",
"private": false,
"record": {
"abstract": "A well-known phenomenon in both optics and quantum mechanics is the so-called\nTalbot effect. This near field interference effect arises when infinitely\nperiodic diffracting structures or gratings are illuminated by highly coherent\nlight or particle beams. Typical diffraction patterns known as quantum carpets\nare then observed. Here the authors provide an insightful picture of this\nnonlocal phenomenon as well as its classical limit in terms of Bohmian\nmechanics, also showing the causal reasons and conditions that explain its\nappearance. As an illustration, theoretical results obtained from diffraction\nof thermal He atoms by both N-slit arrays and weak corrugated surfaces are\nanalyzed and discussed. Moreover, the authors also explain in terms of what\nthey call the Talbot-Beeby effect how realistic interaction potentials induce\nshifts and distortions in the corresponding quantum carpets.",
"arxiv_id": "quant-ph/0702224",
"authors": [
"A. S. Sanz",
"S. Miret-Artes"
],
"categories": [
"quant-ph"
],
"doi": "10.1063/1.2741555",
"journal_ref": "J. Chem. Phys. 126, 234106 (2007)",
"title": "A causal look into the quantum Talbot effect",
"url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/quant-ph/0702224"
},
"schema_id": "dorsal/arxiv",
"source": {
"execution_id": "7ef5222a-6ac8-4d32-a4b3-96e8bc478347",
"id": "arXiv Dataset IDs",
"type": "Model",
"variant": "snapshot-2026-03-01",
"version": "0.1.0"
},
"user_id": 1000002
}