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Comptes Rendus Physique

Large-area Sagnac atom interferometer with robust phase read out

Gunnar Tackmann, Peter Berg, Sven Abend, Christian Schubert, Wolfgang A. Ertmer, Ernst Maria Rasel

Published Oct 18, 2014• 30 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We report on recent progress on our matter-wave Sagnac interferometer capable of resolving ultra-slow rotations below the μrad s − 1 level with a 1-s measurement time and a repetition rate of 2 Hz. Two Raman interferometers are employed that are susceptible to rotation and acceleration. We demonstrate two read-out schemes exploiting the strict phase correlation of the dual interferometer, the first one locking the interferometer to the mid-fringe position, and the second relying on phase modulation combined with ellipse fitting. In both, the sensitivity to gravity acceleration is employed for controlling the differential interferometer phase without influencing the rotation signal. Furthermore, we discuss errors in the rotation signal arising from atom source instabilities combined with a residual misalignment of the three pulsed light gratings used for atomic diffraction. Monitoring the source position fluctuations allows us to suppress this spurious signal. We achieve stable operation with a sensitivity of 850 nrad s − 1 Hz − 1 / 2 for a 1-s measurement time, and 20 nrad s − 1 after 4000 s of averaging.

DOI
10.1016/j.crhy.2014.10.001

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We report on recent progress on our matter-wave Sagnac interferometer capable of resolving ultra-slow rotations below the μrad s − 1 level with a 1-s measurement time and a repetition rate of 2 Hz. Two Raman interferometers are employed that are susceptible to rotation and acceleration. We demonstrate two read-out schemes exploiting the strict phase correlation of the dual interferometer, the first one locking the interferometer to the mid-fringe position, and the second relying on phase modulation combined with ellipse fitting. In both, the sensitivity to gravity acceleration is employed for controlling the differential interferometer phase without influencing the rotation signal. Furthermore, we discuss errors in the rotation signal arising from atom source instabilities combined with a residual misalignment of the three pulsed light gratings used for atomic diffraction. Monitoring the source position fluctuations allows us to suppress this spurious signal. We achieve stable operation with a sensitivity of 850 nrad s − 1 Hz − 1 / 2 for a 1-s measurement time, and 20 nrad s − 1 after 4000 s of averaging.
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%.
We reports improvements to our Sagnac effect matter-wave interferometer gyroscope. This device now has a short-term rotation-rate sensitivity of 6 × 10 -10 rad s -1 over 1 s of integration, which is the best publicly reported value to date. Stimulated Raman transitions are used to coherently manipulate atoms from counterpropagating thermal beams, forming two interferometers with opposite rotation phase shifts, allowing rotation to be distinguished from acceleration and laser arbitrary phase. Furthermore, electronically compensating the rotation-induced Doppler shifts of the Raman lasers allows operation at an effective zero rotation rate, improving sensitivity and facilitating sensitive lock-in detection readout techniques. Long-term stability is promising but not yet fully characterized. Potential applications include inertial navigation, geophysical studies and tests of general relativity.
We report improvements to our atom-interferometer based Sagnac gyroscope which uses stimulated Raman transitions to manipulate atomic wavepackets of cesium atoms. Using counter-propagating high-flux atomic beams, we form two interferometers with opposite Sagnac phase shifts that share key components such as Raman atomic state manipulation beams. Subtracting the two interferometer signals allows the common-mode rejection of spurious noise sources and various systematic effects. Preliminary results indicate a short term sensitivity of 3 X 10-9 (rad/s) (root) Hz.
A rotation-rate sensor was developed using atom interferometry and the Sagnac effect for matter waves. This device has a short-term sensitivity of 6× 10−10 rad/sec for a 1 second integration time, which is the best publicly reported value to date. It has high intrinsic accuracy because it relies on interactions between atoms and laser light that is stabilized to an atomic transition. Long-term stability is promising and characterization is currently underway. Potential applications include inertial navigation, geophysical studies, and general relativity tests such as verification of the Lense-Thirring and geodetic effects. The principle of operation is as follows: A thermal cesium atomic beam crosses three laser interaction regions where two-photon stimulated Raman transitions between cesium ground states transfer momentum to atoms and divide, deflect, and recombine the atomic wavepackets. Rotation induces a phase shift between the two possible trajectories and causes a change in the detected number of atoms with a particular internal state. Counterpropagating atomic beams form two interferometers using shared lasers for common-mode rejection, and the rotation phase shifts have opposite sign since the phase shift is proportional to the vector velocity of the atoms. Therefore, subtracting or adding the interferometer signals discriminates between rotation and transverse acceleration summed with laser arbitrary phase. Furthermore, in the inertial reference frame of the atoms, rotations Doppler-shift the Raman lasers. Adding Raman frequency shifts to cancel these Doppler-shifts allows operation at an effective zero rotation rate, improving sensitivity and bandwidth. Modulating these frequency shifts facilitates sensitive lock-in detection readout techniques.
Summary form only given. Matter wave interferometers have become very promising tools in fundamental physics and metrology. The sensitivities obtained with such atomic quantum sensors compete with classical state-of-the-art devices for acceleration and rotation measurements. Currently, we are setting up a new cold atom Sagnac interferometer (CASI) to realize high precision measurements of rotations with a compact and flexible setup. Using cold atoms the experiment aims to achieve sensitivities down to 2/spl times/10/sup -9/ rad/s/Hz for a compact interferometer as short as 15 cm. Rotations and accelerations will be discriminated by synchronous operation of two counterpropagating ensembles of ultra-cold atoms. We will give an overview about the concept and the parameters of our future interferometer. The results of the characterization of our 2D-MOT, which serves as a brilliant source for our cold atom interferometer, will be presented. The compact design of the sensor will be transportable. Thus, it will permit the comparison with other gyroscopes. CASI will be a first step towards a cold atom space experiment of the second generation.
We propose and demonstrate a method for calibrating atomic trajectories in a large-area dual-atom-interferometer gyroscope. The atom trajectories are monitored by modulating and delaying the Raman transition, and they are precisely calibrated by controlling the laser orientation and the bias magnetic field. To improve the immunity to the gravity effect and the common phase noise, the symmetry and the overlap of two large-area atomic interference loops are optimized by calibrating the atomic trajectories and by aligning the Raman-laser orientations. The dual-atom-interferometer gyroscope is applied in the measurement of the Earth's rotation. The sensitivity is $1.2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}6}$ rad $\mathrm{s}{}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$ ${\text{Hz}}^{\ensuremath{-}1/2}$, and the long-term stability is $6.2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}8}$ rad/s at 2000 s.