Talbot-Lau interferometry with fullerenes: Sensitivity to inertial forces and vibrational dephasing

We discuss matter wave experiments in a near-field interferometer and focus on dephasing phenomena that are due to inertial forces. Their presence may result in a significant reduction of the observed interference contrast, even though they do not lead to genuine decoherence. We provide quantitative estimates for the most important effects and demonstrate experimentally the strong influence of acoustic vibrations. Since the effects of inertial forces become increasingly important for interferometry with more massive particles, they have to be identified and compensated for in future experiments. Copyright Π2005 by MAIK "Nauka/Interperiodica" (Russia).