Atom interferometers with scalable enclosed area

Multiphoton Atom Interferometry via Cavity-Enhanced Bragg Diffraction

We present a novel atom interferometer configuration that combines large momentum transfer with the enhancement of an optical resonator for the purpose of measuring gravitational strain in the horizontal directions. Using Bragg diffraction and taking advantage of the optical gain provided by the resonator, we achieve momentum transfer up to 8ℏk with mW level optical power in a cm-sized resonating waist. Importantly, our experiment uses an original resonator design that allows for a large resonating beam waist and eliminates the need to trap atoms in cavity modes. We demonstrate inertial sensitivity in the horizontal direction by measuring the change in tilt of our resonator. This result paves the way for future hybrid atom or optical gravitational wave detectors. Furthermore, the versatility of our method extends to a wide range of measurement geometries and atomic sources, opening up new avenues for the realization of highly sensitive inertial atom sensors.

Atom Interferometry with Coherent Enhancement of Bragg Pulse Sequences

We report here on the realization of light-pulse atom interferometers with large-momentum-transfer atom optics based on a sequence of Bragg transitions. We demonstrate momentum splitting up to 200 photon recoils in an ultracold atom interferometer. We highlight a new mechanism of destructive interference of the losses leading to a sizable efficiency enhancement of the beam splitters. We perform a comprehensive study of parasitic interferometers due to the inherent multiport feature of the quasi-Bragg pulses. Finally, we experimentally verify the phase shift enhancement and characterize the interferometer visibility loss.

Multi-loop atomic Sagnac interferometry

The sensitivity of light and matter-wave interferometers to rotations is based on the Sagnac effect and increases with the area enclosed by the interferometer. In the case of light, the latter can be enlarged by forming multiple fibre loops, whereas the equivalent for matter-wave interferometers remains an experimental challenge. We present a concept for a multi-loop atom interferometer with a scalable area formed by light pulses. Our method will offer sensitivities as high as \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$2\times 10^{-11}$$\end{document}2×10-11 rad/s at 1 s in combination with the respective long-term stability as required for Earth rotation monitoring.

High Sensitivity Multi-Axes Rotation Sensing Using Large Momentum Transfer Point Source Atom Interferometry

A point source interferometer (PSI) is a device where atoms are split and recombined by applying a temporal sequence of Raman pulses during the expansion of a cloud of cold atoms behaving approximately as a point source. The PSI can work as a sensitive multi-axes gyroscope that can automatically filter out the signal from accelerations. The phase shift arising from the rotations is proportional to the momentum transferred to each atom from the Raman pulses. Therefore, by increasing the momentum transfer, it should be possible to enhance the sensitivity of the PSI. Here, we investigate the degree of enhancement in sensitivity that could be achieved by augmenting the PSI with large momentum transfer (LMT) employing a sequence of many Raman pulses with alternating directions. We analyze how factors such as Doppler detuning, spontaneous emission, and the finite initial size of the atomic cloud compromise the advantage of LMT and how to find the optimal momentum transfer under these limitations, with both the semi-classical model and a model under which the motion of the center of mass of each atom is described quantum mechanically. We identify a set of realistic parameters for which LMT can improve the PSI by a factor of nearly 40.

Twin-lattice atom interferometry

Inertial sensors based on cold atoms have great potential for navigation, geodesy, or fundamental physics. Similar to the Sagnac effect, their sensitivity increases with the space-time area enclosed by the interferometer. Here, we introduce twin-lattice atom interferometry exploiting Bose-Einstein condensates of rubidium-87. Our method provides symmetric momentum transfer and large areas offering a perspective for future palm-sized sensor heads with sensitivities on par with present meter-scale Sagnac devices. Our theoretical model of the impact of beam splitters on the spatial coherence is highly instrumental for designing future sensors.

Atom interferometers can be useful for precision measurement of fundamental constants and sensors of different type. Here the authors demonstrate a compact twin-lattice atom interferometry exploiting Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) of 87 Rb atoms.

Large Momentum Transfer Clock Atom Interferometry on the 689 nm Intercombination Line of Strontium

We report the first realization of large momentum transfer (LMT) clock atom interferometry. Using single-photon interactions on the strontium ^{1}S_{0}-^{3}P_{1} transition, we demonstrate Mach-Zehnder interferometers with state-of-the-art momentum separation of up to 141  ℏk and gradiometers of up to 81  ℏk. Moreover, we circumvent excited state decay limitations and extend the gradiometer duration to 50 times the excited state lifetime. Because of the broad velocity acceptance of the interferometry pulses, all experiments are performed with laser-cooled atoms at a temperature of 3  μK. This work has applications in high-precision inertial sensing and paves the way for LMT-enhanced clock atom interferometry on even narrower transitions, a key ingredient in proposals for gravitational wave detection and dark matter searches.

Three-Path Atom Interferometry with Large Momentum Separation

We demonstrate the scale up of a symmetric three-path contrast interferometer to large momentum separation. The observed phase stability at separation of 112 photon recoil momenta exceeds the performance of earlier free-space interferometers. In addition to the symmetric interferometer geometry and Bose-Einstein condensate source, the robust scalability of our approach relies on the suppression of undesired diffraction phases through a careful choice of atom optics parameters. The interferometer phase evolution is quadratic with number of recoils, reaching a rate as high as 7×10^{7}  rad/s. We discuss the applicability of our method towards a new measurement of the fine-structure constant and a test of QED.

Quantum test of the equivalence principle for atoms in coherent superposition of internal energy states

The Einstein equivalence principle (EEP) has a central role in the understanding of gravity and space-time. In its weak form, or weak equivalence principle (WEP), it directly implies equivalence between inertial and gravitational mass. Verifying this principle in a regime where the relevant properties of the test body must be described by quantum theory has profound implications. Here we report on a novel WEP test for atoms: a Bragg atom interferometer in a gravity gradiometer configuration compares the free fall of rubidium atoms prepared in two hyperfine states and in their coherent superposition. The use of the superposition state allows testing genuine quantum aspects of EEP with no classical analogue, which have remained completely unexplored so far. In addition, we measure the Eötvös ratio of atoms in two hyperfine levels with relative uncertainty in the low 10^-9, improving previous results by almost two orders of magnitude.

Atom-Chip Fountain Gravimeter

We demonstrate a quantum gravimeter by combining the advantages of an atom chip for the generation, delta-kick collimation, and coherent manipulation of freely falling Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) with an innovative launch mechanism based on Bloch oscillations and double Bragg diffraction. Our high-contrast BEC interferometer realizes tens of milliseconds of free fall in a volume as little as a one centimeter cube and paves the way for measurements with sub-μGal accuracies in miniaturized, robust devices.

Double Bragg Interferometry

We employ light-induced double Bragg diffraction of delta-kick collimated Bose-Einstein condensates to create three symmetric Mach-Zehnder interferometers. They rely on (i) first-order, (ii) two successive first-order, and (iii) second-order processes which demonstrate the scalability of the corresponding momentum transfer. With respect to devices based on conventional Bragg scattering, these symmetric interferometers double the scale factor and feature a better suppression of noise and systematic uncertainties intrinsic to the diffraction process. Moreover, we utilize these interferometers as tiltmeters for monitoring their inclination with respect to gravity.

Large-Area Atom Interferometry with Frequency-Swept Raman Adiabatic Passage

We demonstrate light-pulse atom interferometry with large-momentum-transfer atom optics based on stimulated Raman transitions and frequency-swept adiabatic rapid passage. Our atom optics have produced momentum splittings of up to 30 photon recoil momenta in an acceleration-sensitive interferometer for laser cooled atoms. We experimentally verify the enhancement of phase shift per unit acceleration and characterize interferometer contrast loss. By forgoing evaporative cooling and velocity selection, this method lowers the atom shot-noise-limited measurement uncertainty and enables large-area atom interferometry at higher data rates.

High-Resolution Atom Interferometers with Suppressed Diffraction Phases

We experimentally and theoretically study the diffraction phase of large-momentum transfer beam splitters in atom interferometers based on Bragg diffraction. We null the diffraction phase and increase the sensitivity of the interferometer by combining Bragg diffraction with Bloch oscillations. We demonstrate agreement between experiment and theory, and a 1500-fold reduction of the diffraction phase, limited by measurement noise. In addition to reduced systematic effects, our interferometer has high contrast with up to 4.4×10(6) radians of phase difference, and a resolution in the fine structure constant of δα/α=0.25  ppb in 25 h of integration time.

Atom interferometry in an optical cavity

We propose and demonstrate a new scheme for atom interferometry, using light pulses inside an optical cavity as matter wave beam splitters. The cavity provides power enhancement, spatial filtering, and a precise beam geometry, enabling new techniques such as low power beam splitters (<100  μW), large momentum transfer beam splitters with modest power, or new self-aligned interferometer geometries utilizing the transverse modes of the optical cavity. As a first demonstration, we obtain Ramsey-Raman fringes with >75% contrast and measure the acceleration due to gravity, g, to 60  μg/sqrt[Hz] resolution in a Mach-Zehnder geometry. We use >10(7) cesium atoms in the compact mode volume (600  μm 1/e(2) waist) of the cavity and show trapping of atoms in higher transverse modes. This work paves the way toward compact, high sensitivity, multiaxis interferometry.

Composite-light-pulse technique for high-precision atom interferometry

We realize beam splitters and mirrors for atom waves by employing a sequence of light pulses rather than individual ones. In this way we can tailor atom interferometers with improved sensitivity and accuracy. We demonstrate our method of composite pulses by creating a symmetric matter-wave interferometer which combines the advantages of conventional Bragg- and Raman-type concepts. This feature leads to an interferometer with a high immunity to technical noise allowing us to devise a large-area Sagnac gyroscope yielding a phase shift of 6.5 rad due to the Earth's rotation. With this device we achieve a rotation rate precision of 120  nrad s(-1) Hz(-1/2) and determine the Earth's rotation rate with a relative uncertainty of 1.2%.

Measurement of the gravity-field curvature by atom interferometry

We present the first direct measurement of the gravity-field curvature based on three conjugated atom interferometers. Three atomic clouds launched in the vertical direction are simultaneously interrogated by the same atom interferometry sequence and used to probe the gravity field at three equally spaced positions. The vertical component of the gravity-field curvature generated by nearby source masses is measured from the difference between adjacent gravity gradient values. Curvature measurements are of interest in geodesy studies and for the validation of gravitational models of the surrounding environment. The possibility of using such a scheme for a new determination of the Newtonian constant of gravity is also discussed.

Optically guided beam splitter for propagating matter waves

We study experimentally and theoretically a beam splitter setup for guided atomic matter waves. The matter wave is a guided atom laser that can be tuned from quasimonomode to a regime where many transverse modes are populated, and propagates in a horizontal dipole beam until it crosses another horizontal beam at 45°. We show that depending on the parameters of this X configuration, the atoms can all end up in one of the two beams (the system behaves as a perfect guide switch), or be split between the four available channels (the system behaves as a beam splitter). The splitting regime results from a chaotic scattering dynamics. The existence of these different regimes turns out to be robust against small variations of the parameters of the system. From numerical studies, we also propose a scheme that provides a robust and controlled beam splitter in two channels only.

Force-free gravitational redshift: proposed gravitational Aharonov-Bohm experiment

We propose a feasible laboratory interferometry experiment with matter waves in a gravitational potential caused by a pair of artificial field-generating masses. It will demonstrate that the presence of these masses (and, for moving atoms, time dilation) induces a phase shift, even if it does not cause any classical force. The phase shift is identical to that produced by the gravitational redshift (or time dilation) of clocks ticking at the atom's Compton frequency. In analogy to the Aharonov-Bohm effect in electromagnetism, the quantum mechanical phase is a function of the gravitational potential and not the classical forces.

Influence of the Coriolis force in atom interferometry

In a light-pulse atom interferometer, we use a tip-tilt mirror to remove the influence of the Coriolis force from Earth's rotation and to characterize configuration space wave packets. For interferometers with a large momentum transfer and large pulse separation time, we improve the contrast by up to 350% and suppress systematic effects. We also reach what is to our knowledge the largest space-time area enclosed in any atom interferometer to date. We discuss implications for future high-performance instruments.

Quantum interferometric visibility as a witness of general relativistic proper time

Current attempts to probe general relativistic effects in quantum mechanics focus on precision measurements of phase shifts in matter-wave interferometry. Yet, phase shifts can always be explained as arising because of an Aharonov-Bohm effect, where a particle in a flat space-time is subject to an effective potential. Here we propose a quantum effect that cannot be explained without the general relativistic notion of proper time. We consider interference of a 'clock'-a particle with evolving internal degrees of freedom-that will not only display a phase shift, but also reduce the visibility of the interference pattern. According to general relativity, proper time flows at different rates in different regions of space-time. Therefore, because of quantum complementarity, the visibility will drop to the extent to which the path information becomes available from reading out the proper time from the 'clock'. Such a gravitationally induced decoherence would provide the first test of the genuine general relativistic notion of proper time in quantum mechanics.

102ℏk large area atom interferometers

We demonstrate atom interferometers utilizing a novel beam splitter based on sequential multiphoton Bragg diffractions. With this sequential Bragg large momentum transfer (SB-LMT) beam splitter, we achieve high contrast atom interferometers with momentum splittings of up to 102 photon recoil momenta (102ℏk). To our knowledge, this is the highest momentum splitting achieved in any atom interferometer, advancing the state-of-the-art by an order of magnitude. We also demonstrate strong noise correlation between two simultaneous SB-LMT interferometers, which alleviates the need for ultralow noise lasers and ultrastable inertial environments in some future applications. Our method is intrinsically scalable and can be used to dramatically increase the sensitivity of atom interferometers in a wide range of applications, including inertial sensing, measuring the fine structure constant, and detecting gravitational waves.

Enhancing the area of a Raman atom interferometer using a versatile double-diffraction technique

In this Letter, we demonstrate a new scheme for Raman transitions which realize a symmetric momentum-space splitting of 4 Planck's constant k, deflecting the atomic wave packets into the same internal state. Combining the advantages of Raman and Bragg diffraction, we achieve a three pulse state labeled an interferometer, intrinsically insensitive to the main systematics and applicable to all kinds of atomic sources. This splitting scheme can be extended to 4N Planck's constant k momentum transfer by a multipulse sequence and is implemented on a 8 Planck's constant k interferometer. We demonstrate the area enhancement by measuring inertial forces.

Large momentum beam splitter using Bloch oscillations

The sensitivity of an inertial sensor based on an atomic interferometer is proportional to the velocity separation of atoms in the two arms of the interferometer. In this Letter we describe how Bloch oscillations can be used to increase this separation and to create a large momentum transfer (LMT) beam splitter. We experimentally demonstrate a separation of 10 recoil velocities. Light shifts during the acceleration introduce phase fluctuations which can reduce the fringes contrast. We precisely calculate this effect and demonstrate that it can be significantly reduced by using a suitable combination of LMT pulses. We finally show that this method seems to be very promising to realize a LMT beam splitter with several tens of recoils and a very good efficiency.