Gravitational interference
The Aharonov-Bohm effect is a quantum mechanical effect in which a magnetic field affects the phase of an electron wave as it propagates along a wire. Atom interferometry exploits the wave characteristic of atoms to measure tiny differences in phase as they take different paths through the arms of an interferometer. Overstreet
et al
. split a cloud of cold rubidium atoms into two atomic wave packets about 25 centimeters apart and subjected one of the wave packets to gravitational interaction with a large mass (see the Perspective by Roura). The authors state that the observed phase shift is consistent with a gravitational Aharonov-Bohm effect. —ISO
We demonstrate a narrow-linewidth 780 nm laser system with up to
40
W
power and a frequency modulation bandwidth of 230 MHz. Efficient overlap on nonlinear optical elements combines two pairs of phase-locked frequency components into a single beam. Serrodyne modulation with a high-quality sawtooth waveform is used to perform frequency shifts with
>
96.5
%
efficiency over tens of megahertz. This system enables next-generation atom interferometry by delivering simultaneous, Stark-shift-compensated dual beam splitters while minimizing spontaneous emission.
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