Atomic diffraction by patterned holes in hexagonal boron nitride: a comparison between semi-classical and quantum computational models

• URL: http://arxiv.org/abs/2509.08336v1
• Date: Wed, 10 Sep 2025 07:18:33 GMT
• Title: Atomic diffraction by patterned holes in hexagonal boron nitride: a comparison between semi-classical and quantum computational models
• Abstract summary: This paper presents a numerical simulation of helium matter-wave diffraction through sub-nanometre holes in hexagonal boron nitride.<n>Our results show that the transmission rates in the quantum approach are significantly higher than those predicted by the commonly used semi-classical approach.
• Score: 1.230121113047846
• License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Abstract: The diffraction of atoms and molecules through tiny, sub-nanometre holes in atomically thin membranes is a promising approach for advancing atom interferometry sensing and atomic holography. However, dispersion interactions, such as the Casimir-Polder force, pose a significant challenge by attracting diffracting particles to the membrane, limiting the minimum hole size. This paper presents a numerical simulation of helium matter-wave diffraction through sub-nanometre holes in hexagonal boron nitride by solving the time-dependent Schr\"odinger equation. Our results show that the transmission rates in the quantum approach are significantly higher than those predicted by the commonly used semi-classical approach. This suggests that significantly smaller holes can be used in the design of diffractive masks, provided that fabrication techniques can meet the atomic-level precision to realise such holes. Furthermore, we observe notable differences in diffraction patterns, even for atom velocities that are much greater than the expected convergence threshold between semi-classical and quantum computational models.

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