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.
Owing to the low-gravity conditions in space, space-borne laboratories enable experiments with extended free-fall times. Because Bose-Einstein condensates have an extremely low expansion energy, ...space-borne atom interferometers based on Bose-Einstein condensation have the potential to have much greater sensitivity to inertial forces than do similar ground-based interferometers. On 23 January 2017, as part of the sounding-rocket mission MAIUS-1, we created Bose-Einstein condensates in space and conducted 110 experiments central to matter-wave interferometry, including laser cooling and trapping of atoms in the presence of the large accelerations experienced during launch. Here we report on experiments conducted during the six minutes of in-space flight in which we studied the phase transition from a thermal ensemble to a Bose-Einstein condensate and the collective dynamics of the resulting condensate. Our results provide insights into conducting cold-atom experiments in space, such as precision interferometry, and pave the way to miniaturizing cold-atom and photon-based quantum information concepts for satellite-based implementation. In addition, space-borne Bose-Einstein condensation opens up the possibility of quantum gas experiments in low-gravity conditions
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In this article, we introduce a universal simulation framework covering all regimes of matter-wave light-pulse elastic scattering. Applied to atom interferometry as a study case, this simulator ...solves the atom-light diffraction problem in the elastic case, i.e., when the internal state of the atoms remains unchanged. Taking this perspective, the light-pulse beam splitting is interpreted as a space and time-dependent external potential. In a shift from the usual approach based on a system of momentum-space ordinary differential equations, our position-space treatment is flexible and scales favourably for realistic cases where the light fields have an arbitrary complex spatial behaviour rather than being mere plane waves. Moreover, the solver architecture we developed is effortlessly extended to the problem class of trapped and interacting geometries, which has no simple formulation in the usual framework of momentum-space ordinary differential equations. We check the validity of our model by revisiting several case studies relevant to the precision atom interferometry community. We retrieve analytical solutions when they exist and extend the analysis to more complex parameter ranges in a cross-regime fashion. The flexibility of the approach, the insight it gives, its numerical scalability and accuracy make it an exquisite tool to design, understand and quantitatively analyse metrology-oriented matter-wave interferometry experiments.
Ultracold atom interferometry in space Lachmann, Maike D; Ahlers, Holger; Becker, Dennis ...
Nature communications,
02/2021, Letnik:
12, Številka:
1
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) in free fall constitute a promising source for space-borne interferometry. Indeed, BECs enjoy a slowly expanding wave function, display a large spatial coherence and ...can be engineered and probed by optical techniques. Here we explore matter-wave fringes of multiple spinor components of a BEC released in free fall employing light-pulses to drive Bragg processes and induce phase imprinting on a sounding rocket. The prevailing microgravity played a crucial role in the observation of these interferences which not only reveal the spatial coherence of the condensates but also allow us to measure differential forces. Our work marks the beginning of matter-wave interferometry in space with future applications in fundamental physics, navigation and earth observation.
We present a source engineering concept for a binary quantum mixture suitable as input for differential, precision atom interferometry with drift times of several seconds. To solve the non-linear ...dynamics of the mixture, we develop a set of scaling approach equations and verify their validity contrasting it to the one of a system of coupled Gross-Pitaevskii equations. This scaling approach is a generalization of the standard approach commonly used for single species. Its validity range is discussed with respect to intra- and inter-species interaction regimes. We propose a multi-stage, non-linear atomic lens sequence to simultaneously create dual ensembles with ultra-slow kinetic expansion energies, below 15 pK. Our scheme has the advantage of mitigating wave front aberrations, a leading systematic effect in precision atom interferometry.
Ultracold quantum gases are ideal sources for high-precision space-borne sensing as proposed for Earth observation, relativistic geodesy and tests of fundamental physical laws as well as for studying ...new phenomena in many-body physics during extended free fall. Here we report on experiments with the Cold Atom Lab aboard the International Space Station, where we have achieved exquisite control over the quantum state of single
Rb Bose-Einstein condensates paving the way for future high-precision measurements. In particular, we have applied fast transport protocols to shuttle the atomic cloud over a millimeter distance with sub-micrometer accuracy and subsequently drastically reduced the total expansion energy to below 100 pK with matter-wave lensing techniques.
Quantum sensors based on coherent matter-waves are precise measurement devices whose ultimate accuracy is achieved with Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) in extended free fall. This is ideally ...realized in microgravity environments such as drop towers, ballistic rockets and space platforms. However, the transition from lab-based BEC machines to robust and mobile sources with comparable performance is a challenging endeavor. Here we report on the realization of a miniaturized setup, generating a flux of quantum degenerate 87Rb atoms every 1.6 s. Ensembles of atoms can be produced at a 1 Hz rate. This is achieved by loading a cold atomic beam directly into a multi-layer atom chip that is designed for efficient transfer from laser-cooled to magnetically trapped clouds. The attained flux of degenerate atoms is on par with current lab-based BEC experiments while offering significantly higher repetition rates. Additionally, the flux is approaching those of current interferometers employing Raman-type velocity selection of laser-cooled atoms. The compact and robust design allows for mobile operation in a variety of demanding environments and paves the way for transportable high-precision quantum sensors.
Atom interferometers have a multitude of proposed applications in space including precise measurements of the Earth’s gravitational field, in navigation & ranging, and in fundamental physics such as ...tests of the weak equivalence principle (WEP) and gravitational wave detection. While atom interferometers are realized routinely in ground-based laboratories, current efforts aim at the development of a space compatible design optimized with respect to dimensions, weight, power consumption, mechanical robustness and radiation hardness. In this paper, we present a design of a high-sensitivity differential dual species
85
Rb/
87
Rb atom interferometer for space, including physics package, laser system, electronics and software. The physics package comprises the atom source consisting of dispensers and a 2D magneto-optical trap (MOT), the science chamber with a 3D-MOT, a magnetic trap based on an atom chip and an optical dipole trap (ODT) used for Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) creation and interferometry, the detection unit, the vacuum system for 10
−11
mbar ultra-high vacuum generation, and the high-suppression factor magnetic shielding as well as the thermal control system. The laser system is based on a hybrid approach using fiber-based telecom components and high-power laser diode technology and includes all laser sources for 2D-MOT, 3D-MOT, ODT, interferometry and detection. Manipulation and switching of the laser beams is carried out on an optical bench using Zerodur bonding technology. The instrument consists of 9 units with an overall mass of 221 kg, an average power consumption of 608 W (814 W peak), and a volume of 470 liters which would well fit on a satellite to be launched with a Soyuz rocket, as system studies have shown.
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