A 2-dimensional detector with high spatial and temporal resolution for metastable rare gas atoms

Abstract.

We describe a detector for metastable rare gas atoms which allows the investigation of transverse atomic beam distributions on the single atom level with lateral dimensions of 1 $\mu$m, which occur frequently in the field of atom optics. In contrast to existing detection techniques, the conversion step from the metastable atom to an electron is separated from the charge amplification to improve spatial resolution. The conversion is performed at a metal surface, which is followed by an electron-optical system imaging the electron distribution with a proper magnification onto a single electron detection unit. The spatial resolution that we achieve with this technique is on the order of 1 $\mu$m, the temporal resolution on the order of 1 $\mu$s. The application of the detector for atom interferometry is discussed.