Rescaled and shifted energy distribution ρ(z) of the reflected particle for the same parameters as in the previous figure

Figure 3. Rescaled and shifted energy distribution ρ(z) of the reflected particle for the same parameters as in the previous figure. The distribution is computed from the momentum distribution for positive momenta k only (see figure 2). For each value of ω, the peaks occur at integer values of z=n \in \mathbb {N}, cf equation (7).

Abstract

We describe an experimentally realistic situation of the quantum reflection of helium atoms from an oscillating surface. The temporal modulation of the potential induces clear sidebands in the reflection probability as a function of momentum. These sidebands could be exploited to slow down atoms and molecules in the experiment.