Generation of Neutron Airy Beams

Sarenac, Dusan; Lailey, Owen; Henderson, Melissa E.; Ekinci, Huseyin; Clark, Charles W.; Cory, David G.; DeBeer-Schmitt, Lisa; Huber, Michael G.; White, Jonathan S.; Zhernenkov, Kirill; Pushin, Dmitry A.

doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.134.153401

Title: Generation of Neutron Airy Beams

Journal Article · 16 April 2025 · Physical Review Letters

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.134.153401 · OSTI ID:2558164

;

; Henderson, Melissa E.;

;

; DeBeer-Schmitt, Lisa;

;

; Zhernenkov, Kirill; Pushin, Dmitry A.

The Airy wave packet is a solution to the potential-free Schrödinger equation that exhibits remarkable properties such as self-acceleration, nondiffraction, and self-healing. Although Airy beams are now routinely realized with electromagnetic waves and electrons, the implementation with neutrons has remained elusive due to small transverse coherence lengths, low fluence rates, and the absence of neutron lenses. In this Letter, we overcome these challenges through a holographic approach and present the first experimental demonstration of neutron Airy beams. The presented techniques pave the way for fundamental physics studies with Airy beams of nonelementary particles, the development of novel neutron optics components, and the realization of neutron Airy-vortex beams. Published by the American Physical Society 2025

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Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES); USDOE Office of Science (SC), Nuclear Physics (NP)

Grant/Contract Number:: 89243019SSC000025; SC0023695

OSTI ID:: 2558164

Journal Information:: Physical Review Letters, Journal Name: Physical Review Letters Journal Issue: 15 Vol. 134; ISSN 0031-9007; ISSN PRLTAO

Publisher:: American Physical SocietyCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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