Non-classical behavior of atoms in an interferometer

Abstract

We have studied the properties of the non-classical behavior of atoms in a double-slit interferometer. An indication of this behavior for metastable helium was reported by Kurtsiefer, Pfau and Mlynek [Nature 386, 150 (1997)] showing distinctive negative values of the Wigner function, which was reconstructed from the measured diffraction data. Our approach to explain this non-classical behavior is based on the de Broglie-Bohm-Vigier-Selleri understanding of the wave-particle duality and compatible statistical interpretation of the atomic wave function. It follows from the results that the atomic motion is non-classical because it does not obey the laws of classical mechanics. However, there is no evidence that this atomic behavior violates the classical probability law of the addition of probabilities.