Interleaved atom interferometry for high-sensitivity inertial measurements

Savoie, Denis; Altorio, Matteo; Fang, Bess; Sidorenkov, Leonid A.; Geiger, Rémi; Landragin, Arnaud

doi:10.1126/sciadv.aau7948

Cited by 152 publications

(110 citation statements)

References 42 publications

(60 reference statements)

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“…Photon scattering from an atom in a superposition state can induce atomic decoherence [35][36][37] that causes a loss of fringe contrast and decreases measurement sensitivity. Additionally, fluorescence emitted along the atomic trajectory can induce ac Stark shifts that perturb measurements [33,34,37]. Decoherence due to atomic fluorescence has been observed in a number of studies of atom interferometry [12,[33][34][35].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Three-Dimensional Cooling of an Atom-Beam Source for High-Contrast Atom Interferometry

et al. 2020

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We present a compact, two-stage atomic beam source that produces a continuous, narrow, collimated and high-flux beam of rubidium atoms with sub-Doppler temperatures in three dimensions, which features very low emission of near-resonance fluorescence along the atomic trajectory. The atom beam source originates in a pushed two-dimensional magneto-optical trap (2D + MOT) feeding a slightly off-axis three-dimensional moving optical molasses stage that continuously cools and redirects the atom beam. The capture velocity of the moving optical molasses is deliberately chosen to be low, ∼ 3 m/s, to reduce fluorescence, and the cooling light is detuned by several atomic linewidths from resonance to reduce the absorption cross-section of cooling-induced fluorescence. Near-resonance light from the 2D + MOT and the push beam does not propagate to the output atomic trajectory due to a 10 • bend in the atomic trajectory. The atomic beam emitted from the two-stage source has a flux up to 1.6(3)×10 9 atoms/s, with an optimized temperature of 15.0(2) µK. We employ continuous Raman-Ramsey interference measurements at the atom beam output to study the sources of decoherence in the presence of continuous cooling, and demonstrate that the atom beam source effectively preserves high fringe contrast even during cooling. This cold-atom beam source is appropriate for use in atom interferometers and clocks, where continuous operation eliminates dead time, the slow atom beam velocity (6 -16 m/s) improves sensitivity, the narrow 3D velocity distribution improves fringe contrast, and the low reabsorption of scattered light mitigates decoherence caused by the continuous cooling process.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Three-Dimensional Cooling of an Atom-Beam Source for High-Contrast Atom Interferometry

et al. 2020

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“…This insensitivity makes them ideally suited to rotation sensing through Sagnac interferometry [27,28], an area of significant recent interest [21,[28][29][30]. Free-flight matterwave interferometers can provide precise rotation measurements [7,9,31,32], but typically require large apparatuses with relatively low measurement bandwidth (recent experiments in free-flight interferometers have made significant improvements in this regard [33]). In this paper I investigate the technical requirements for effective operation of TMIs with harmonic confinement, in particular examining the control of the matter wavepackets and the associated trapping potential.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Systematic effects in two-dimensional trapped matter-wave interferometers

West¹

2019

Phys. Rev. A

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Trapped matter-wave interferometers (TMIs) present a platform for precision sensing within a compact apparatus, extending coherence time by repeated traversal of a confining potential. However, imperfections in this potential can introduce unwanted systematic effects, particularly when combined with errors in the associated beamsplitter operations. This can affect both the interferometer phase and visibility, and can make the performance more sensitive to other experimental imperfections. I examine the character and degree of these systematic effects, in particular within the context of 2D TMIs applicable for rotation sensing. I show that current experimental control can enable these interferometers to operate in a regime robust against experimental imperfections. II. TRAPPED MATTER-WAVE INTERFEROMETRYA. Interferometer Sequence

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“…Optical Sagnac interferometers are an important component in present-day navigation systems [6], but suffer from limited sensitivity and stability. Interferometers using matter waves are intrinsically more sensitive and have demonstrated superior gyroscope performance [7][8][9], but the benefits have not been large enough to offset the substantial increase in apparatus size and complexity that atomic systems require. It has long been hoped that these problems might be overcome using atoms confined in a guiding potential or trap, as opposed to atoms falling in free space [10][11][12].…”

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confidence: 99%

Quantum Rotation Sensing with Dual Sagnac Interferometers in an Atom-Optical Waveguide

et al. 2020

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Sensitive and accurate rotation sensing is a critical requirement for applications such as inertial navigation [1], north-finding [2], geophysical analysis [3], and tests of general relativity [4]. One effective technique used for rotation sensing is Sagnac interferometry, in which a wave is split, traverses two paths that enclose an area, and then recombined. The resulting interference signal depends on the rotation rate of the system and the area enclosed by the paths [5]. Optical Sagnac interferometers are an important component in present-day navigation systems [6], but suffer from limited sensitivity and stability. Interferometers using matter waves are intrinsically more sensitive and have demonstrated superior gyroscope performance [7-9], but the benefits have not been large enough to offset the substantial increase in apparatus size and complexity that atomic systems require. It has long been hoped that these problems might be overcome using atoms confined in a guiding potential or trap, as opposed to atoms falling in free space [10][11][12]. This allows the atoms to be supported against gravity, so a long measurement time can be achieved without requiring a large drop distance. The guiding potential can also be used to control the trajectory of the atoms, causing them to move in a circular loop that provides the optimum enclosed area for a given linear size [13]. Here we use such an approach to demonstrate a rotation measurement with Earth-rate sensitivity.A small number of trapped-atom Sagnac interferometers have been demonstrated in the past [14-18], but none have been used to make a quantitative rotation measurement. The largest enclosed areas have been achieved using a linear interferometer that is translated along a direction perpendicular to the interferometer axis [19], but this approach may not be well-suited for inertial measurements in a moving vehicle. Here, we demonstrate a true two-dimensional interferometer configuration in which atoms travel in circular trajectories through a static confining potential. We obtain an effective enclosed area of 0.50 mm 2 , compared to areas of 0.20 mm 2 reported by Wu et al.[15] and 0.35 mm 2 recently obtained by the Los Alamos group [18]. Our approach is readily scalable to weaker traps and multiple orbits by the atoms, making larger areas feasible.Another key advance is the use of dual counterpropagating interferometer measurements. Here, two Sagnac interferometers are implemented at the same time in the same trap, with atoms travelling at opposite velocities over the same paths. This technique was developed for free space interferometers [8], and allows the common-mode rejection of interferometric phases from accelerations, laser noise, background fields, and other effects that can mask the rotation signal. The Sagnac effect itself is differential and can be extracted by comparing the two individual measurements. This technique is likely to be essential for any practical rotation-sensing system, but has not previously been demonstrated in a trapped-atom s...

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Interleaved atom interferometry for high-sensitivity inertial measurements

Abstract: Interleaved atom interferometry brings high sensitivity and temporal resolution to cold-atom inertial sensors.

Cited by 152 publications

References 42 publications

Three-Dimensional Cooling of an Atom-Beam Source for High-Contrast Atom Interferometry

Three-Dimensional Cooling of an Atom-Beam Source for High-Contrast Atom Interferometry

Systematic effects in two-dimensional trapped matter-wave interferometers

Quantum Rotation Sensing with Dual Sagnac Interferometers in an Atom-Optical Waveguide

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