Abstract:
This thesis describes the Bragg diffraction of ultracold fermions at an optical potential. A moving optical lattice was created, by overlaying two slightly detuned lasers. Atoms can be diffracted at this lattice if the detuning fulfills the Bragg condition for resting atoms. This Bragg diffraction is analyzed systematically in this thesis. To this end Rabi oscillations between the diffraction states were driven, as well in the weakly interacting Bragg regime, as in the strongly interacting Kapitza-Dirac regime. Simulations, based on a driven two-, respectively multilevel-system describe the observed effects rather well. Furthermore, the temporal evolution of the diffracted states in the magnetic trapping potential was studied. The anharmonicity of the trap in use and the scattering cross section for p-wave collisions in a 6Lithium system was determined from the movement of these states. Moreover the momentum distribution of the fermions was measured with Bragg spectroscopy and first signs of fermi degeneracy were found. Finally an interferometer with fermions was build, exhibiting a coherence time of more than 100 µs. With this, the possibility for measurement and manipulation of ultracold fermions with Bragg diffraction could bee shown.