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A single-atom 'double-slit' experiment is realized by photo-ionizing Rubidiumatoms using two independent low power lasers. The photoelectron wave ofwell-defined energy recedes to the continuum either from the 5P or 6P states inthe same atom, resulting in two-path interference imaged in the far field usinga photoelectron detector. Even though the lasers are independent and not phaselocked, the transitions within the atom impart the phase relationship necessaryfor interference. The experiment is designed so that either 5P or 6P states areexcited by one laser, before ionization by the second beam. The measurementcannot determine which excitation path is taken, resulting in interference inwave-vector space analogous to Young's double-slit studies. As the lasers aretunable in both frequency and intensity, the individual excitation-ionizationpathways can be varied, allowing dynamic control of the interference term.Since the electron wave recedes in the Coulomb potential of the residual ion, aquantum model is used to capture the dynamics. Excellent agreement is foundbetween theory and experiment.

A Dynamic 'Double Slit' Experiment in a Single Atom