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arXiv:2610.10082

A scanning cavity for large area coherent coupling in atom interferometry

Dylan O. Sabulsky, Q. Beaufils, Andréa D Bertoldi, A. Landragin, P. Bouyer, B. Canuel

Published Oct 7, 2026• 0 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Optical cavities can enhance atom-light coupling in atom interferometry, but free-fall geometries require large transverse modes. Marginally stable resonators provide such modes, yet aberrations and alignment imperfections turn their near-degenerate response into detuning-dependent transverse ring modes, strongly limiting the usable interaction volume under static excitation. Here, we turn this limitation into a resource. By chirping the interrogation frequency across the cavity resonance while dynamically shaping the input amplitude, we map laser detuning onto the transverse position and scan the cavity-enhanced coupling across the atomic cloud. In a cavity-enhanced Bragg diffraction experiment with $^{87}$Rb atoms, this produces a nearly uniform effective interaction region of about 15 mm and increases the transfer efficiency from about 5% to 28%. We also demonstrate phase-coherent operation of a three-pulse atom interferometer using chirped cavity-enhanced Bragg pulses. These results establish scanning-cavity interrogation as a route to large-area, cavity-enhanced atom interferometry.

DOI
10.48550/arxiv.2610.10082

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Optical cavities can enhance atom-light coupling in atom interferometry, but free-fall geometries require large transverse modes. Marginally stable resonators provide such modes, yet aberrations and alignment imperfections turn their near-degenerate response into detuning-dependent transverse ring modes, strongly limiting the usable interaction volume under static excitation. Here, we turn this limitation into a resource. By chirping the interrogation frequency across the cavity resonance while dynamically shaping the input amplitude, we map laser detuning onto the transverse position and scan the cavity-enhanced coupling across the atomic cloud. In a cavity-enhanced Bragg diffraction experiment with 87^{87}87Rb atoms, this produces a nearly uniform effective interaction region of about 15 mm and increases the transfer efficiency from about 5% to 28%. We also demonstrate phase-coherent operation of a three-pulse atom interferometer using chirped cavity-enhanced Bragg pulses. These results establish scanning-cavity interrogation as a route to large-area, cavity-enhanced atom interferometry.
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Abstract We propose a marginally stable optical resonator suitable for atom interferometry. The resonator geometry is based on two flat mirrors at the focal planes of a lens that produces the large beam waist required to coherently manipulate cold atomic ensembles. Optical gains of about 100 are achievable using optics with part-per-thousand losses. The resulting power build-up will allow for enhanced coherent manipulation of the atomic wavepackets such as large separation beamsplitters. We study the effect of longitudinal misalignments and assess the robustness of the resonator in terms of intensity and phase profiles of the intra-cavity field. We also study how to implement atom interferometry based on large momentum transfer Bragg diffraction in such a cavity.
Atom interferometers are among the most sensitive instruments for precision measurements and tests of fundamental physics. Their performance, however, is ultimately limited by quantum projection noise when uncorrelated atomic ensembles are employed. Cavity-assisted generation of entangled states has proven to be a promising route toward quantum-enhanced interferometry beyond the standard quantum limit. In this work, we present the realization and characterization of a monolithic bow-tie cavity developed to achieve a strong collective atom-light coupling with strontium atoms. Unlike conventional standing-wave Fabry-Pérot resonators, the traveling-wave geometry of the bow-tie cavity provides homogeneous atom-light coupling over the entire atomic ensemble, making it particularly suitable for entanglement-enhanced atom interferometry with freely falling atoms. The monolithic cavity architecture presents several scientifically relevant features such as high mechanical stability, high finesse, robustness against mirror misalignment, optical and atomic access and the option of generating squeezed states through different strategies. The cavity was realized for operation on the strontium (5s2)1S0−(5s5p)3P1(5s^2) ^1S_0-(5s5p) ^3P_1(5s2)1S0​−(5s5p)3P1​ transition at 689 nm and achieves a finesse of F=5.7×104\mathcal{F}=5.7\times 10^4F=5.7×104 while keeping the transmission of a single mirror sufficiently large to allow for efficient atomic information extraction. In this geometry, the cavity supports two foci with waists of 164 μμμm and 31 μμμm which gives access to different regimes of atom-cavity coupling. For ensembles containing up to 10510^5105 atoms, the cavity is expected to enable a Wineland squeezing parameter ξ2ξ^2ξ2 of 24 dB through cavity-feedback squeezing, and 28 dB through quantum non-demolition measurements, demonstrating its potential as a platform for next-generation quantum-enhanced atom interferometers.
Abstract Optical cavities are one of the best ways to increase atom-light coupling and will be a key ingredient for future quantum technologies that rely on light–matter interfaces. We demonstrate that traveling-wave ‘ring’ cavities can achieve small mode waists w (i.e. large atom-cavity coupling) while maintaining stability to fluctuations and large mirror separation. Additionally, our ring cavity design can achieve arbitrary transverse-mode spacing simultaneously with the large mode-waist reductions. Following these principles, we build a parabolic atom-ring cavity system that achieves strong collective coupling NC = 15(1) between N = 10 3 Rb atoms and a ring cavity with a single-atom cooperativity C that is significantly larger than what could be achieved with a near-confocal two-mirror cavity with the same mirror separation and finesse. By using parabolic mirrors, we eliminate astigmatism–which can otherwise preclude stable operation–and increase optical access to the atoms. Cavities based on these principles, with enhanced coupling and large mirror separation, will be particularly useful for achieving strong coupling with ions, Rydberg atoms, or other strongly interacting particles, which often have undesirable interactions with nearby surfaces.