Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

The de Broglie Wavelength

The de Broglie Wavelength

In the macroscopic world, objects that are large enough to be seen by the naked eye follow the rules of classical physics. A billiard ball moving on a table will behave like a particle; it will continue traveling in a straight line unless it collides with another ball, or it is acted on by some other force, such as friction. The ball has a well-defined position and velocity or well-defined momentum, p = mv, which is defined by mass m and velocity v at any given moment. This is the typical...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Sensing Spin Precession with Free Electrons.

ACS nano·2026

Same author

3D Imaging of Optical Modes in Dielectric Photonic Nanocavities with Sub-wavelength Field Confinement.

Nano letters·2025

Same author

Electron spin resonance spectroscopy in a transmission electron microscope.

Ultramicroscopy·2025

Same author

Insights into Fast-Charge-Induced Cracking and Bulk Structural Deterioration of Ni-Rich Layered Cathodes for Lithium-Ion Batteries.

ACS nano·2025

Same author

Cavity-enhanced continuous-wave microscopy with potentially unstable cavity length.

Scientific reports·2025

Same author

Exploring Single-Photon Recoil on Free Electrons.

Physical review letters·2025

Same journal

Erratum: Bacterial Turbulence at Compressible Fluid Interfaces [Phys. Rev. Lett. 136, 138301 (2026)].

Physical review letters·2026

Same journal

Unveiling Light-Quark Yukawa Flavor Structure via Dihadron Fragmentation at Lepton Colliders.

Physical review letters·2026

Same journal

Adaptable Route to Fast Coherent State Transport via Bang-Bang-Bang Protocols.

Physical review letters·2026

Same journal

Topological Transition and Emergence of Elasticity of Dislocation in Skyrmion Lattice: Beyond Kittel's Magnetic-Polar Analogy.

Physical review letters·2026

Same journal

Pound-Drever-Hall Method for Superconducting-Qubit Readout.

Physical review letters·2026

Same journal

Coupling a ^{73}Ge Nuclear Spin to an Electrostatically Defined Quantum Dot in Silicon.

Physical review letters·2026

See all related articles

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 12, 2026

$Characterization of Ultra-fine Grained and Nanocrystalline Materials Using Transmission Kikuchi Diffraction$

Characterization of Ultra-fine Grained and Nanocrystalline Materials Using Transmission Kikuchi Diffraction

Published on: April 1, 2017

Electron-Enabled Nanoparticle Diffraction.

Stefan Nimmrichter¹, Dennis Rätzel^2,3, Isobel C Bicket^3,4

¹Universität Siegen, Naturwissenschaftlich-Technische Fakultät, Walter-Flex-Straße 3, 57068 Siegen, Germany.

Physical Review Letters

|November 7, 2025

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Researchers demonstrate a novel method to create large quantum superposition states in levitated nanoparticles using electron diffraction. This technique offers significantly enhanced momentum splitting for observing macroscopic quantum effects.

More Related Videos

$Microcrystal Electron Diffraction of Small Molecules$

Microcrystal Electron Diffraction of Small Molecules

Published on: March 15, 2021

$Measurements of Long-range Electronic Correlations During Femtosecond Diffraction Experiments Performed on Nanocrystals of Buckminsterfullerene$

Measurements of Long-range Electronic Correlations During Femtosecond Diffraction Experiments Performed on Nanocrystals of Buckminsterfullerene

Published on: August 22, 2017

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jan 12, 2026

$Characterization of Ultra-fine Grained and Nanocrystalline Materials Using Transmission Kikuchi Diffraction$

Characterization of Ultra-fine Grained and Nanocrystalline Materials Using Transmission Kikuchi Diffraction

Published on: April 1, 2017

$Microcrystal Electron Diffraction of Small Molecules$

Microcrystal Electron Diffraction of Small Molecules

Published on: March 15, 2021

$Measurements of Long-range Electronic Correlations During Femtosecond Diffraction Experiments Performed on Nanocrystals of Buckminsterfullerene$

Measurements of Long-range Electronic Correlations During Femtosecond Diffraction Experiments Performed on Nanocrystals of Buckminsterfullerene

Published on: August 22, 2017

Area of Science:

Quantum physics
Nanotechnology
Materials science

Background:

Generating quantum superposition states in massive objects is crucial for testing fundamental physics.
Current methods for creating macroscopic quantum states have limitations in momentum splitting and experimental requirements.

Purpose of the Study:

To propose and theoretically investigate a new scheme for generating high-mass quantum superposition states.
To enhance the momentum splitting of levitated nanoparticles for improved quantum experiments.

Main Methods:

Utilizing electron diffraction at the subnanometer crystal lattice of an optically precooled, levitated nanoparticle.
Leveraging momentum conservation during Bragg diffraction to imprint superposition onto the electron-nanoparticle system.
Employing a time-domain Talbot interferometer configuration for nanoparticle self-interference.

Main Results:

Achieved coherent momentum splitting approximately 1000 times greater than conventional methods.
Enables observation of nanoparticle self-interference within drastically shorter free-fall times.
Reduces decoherence from environmental factors and relaxes source requirements.

Conclusions:

The proposed electron diffraction scheme offers a powerful new route for generating macroscopic quantum superposition states.
This method significantly advances the feasibility of experimental tests for macroscopic quantum effects.
Facilitates rapid, repeatable experimental cycles and opens possibilities within transmission electron microscopy.