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Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE

Matter-wave/atom interferometry

John F. Clauser, Shifang Li

Published Dec 12, 1994• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Although interferometry's earliest and most familiar use is with photons, the discovery of matter-wave (deBroglie-wave) interference for electrons demanded the development of quantum mechanics. Since then, matter-wave interferometry has been performed with neutrons, Cooper electron-pairs, and most recently, with whole atoms and diatomic molecules. This talk describes our recent high-flux atom interferometry experiments using the generalized Talbot-vonLau effect. Our interferometer consists of a sequence of three planar vacuum-slit diffraction gratings, microfabricated from silicon nitride membranes. DeBroglie-wave interference fringes are sensed by measuring the transmission of potassium atoms on a hot- wire as a function of grating relative position. Different spatial Fourier components (up to sixth) in the diffraction pattern are resonant in the interferometer at different atomic velocities (i.e., at different wavelengths). When a laser cooled slow atomic beam is incident, various different diffraction patterns are observed as a function of atomic velocity. In an alternative `Heisenberg Microscope' configuration an incident thermal beam produces a velocity average over different fringe Fourier components. AC modulated weak laser light passing through the interferometer interacts selectively with atoms at a specific velocity. The associated fringe pattern is then ac modulated and revealed by its selective destruction.

DOI
10.1117/12.195895

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Results of atom-interferometry experiments with potassium

John F. Clauser, Matthias Reinsch, Shaofan Li

Results of high flux atom interferometry experiments with potassium in generalized Talbot-vonLau configurations are presented. The interferometer consists of a sequence of three planar vacuum slit diffraction gratings, microfabricated from silicon nitride membranes. Interference fringes are sensed by measuring the transmission of atoms on a hot-wire as a function of grating relative position. Different spatial Fourier components (up to fifth) in the diffraction pattern are resonant in the interferometer at different atomic velocities. When a laser cooled slow beam is incident, various different diffraction patterns are observed as a function of atomic velocity, selected via the tuning of D2 cooling lasers. In an alternative “Heisenberg Microscope” configuration an incident thermal beam produces a velocity average over different fringe Fourier components. Fringe patterns for each HFS component are revealed by their selective destruction by AC modulated weak Dl laser light passing through the interferometer near the middle grating. Since imaging of the fluorescent light could determine which slit an atom passes, the laser removes the fringe pattern contribution by Doppler shifted atoms at its wavelength. That contribution is thus AC modulated and detected. Shifts of the patterns by gravity and rotation are evident when the vacuum chamber is tilted.

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We present results of atom interferometry experiments in which spatial matter - wave interference is revealed by its selective destruction. A thermal potassium beam is transmitted through a velocity selective atom interferometer and detected. The interferometer is a sequence of three diffraction gratings. Interference fringes forming a Moire pattern with the third grating determine the transmission. The thermal beam produces a velocity average over different fringe Fourier components, each resonant in the interferometer at a different atomic velocity. AC modulated laser light passes through the interferometer, near the middle grating. Since imaging of the fluorescent light could be used to determine which slit an atom passes, the contribution to the fringe pattern by atoms at the laser`s Doppler shifted wavelength is removed. That component is thus AC modulated and detected. This {open_quotes}atom interference filter{close_quotes} resolves the K{sup 39} HFS.

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Atom Interferometry

Peter Hannaford

Matter - wave interferometry began with the development of electron interferometers and neutron interferometers in the 1950s and 1960s, but it wasn't until 1991 that the first atom matter - wave interferometer was realized. This was followed by a surge of activity sparked by the advent of sources of ultracold laser-cooled atoms. Some of the potential advantages of atom interferometry over neutron interferometry include: much higher particle fluxes, lower particle velocities, larger particle masses, particles with internal states, and laboratory-based sources. This volume is the first text on atom interferometry. It consists of ten comprehensive review articles by leading researchers in the field, many of whom pioneered the first atom interferometers in 1991. The articles describe the different types of atom interferometers developed to date, ranging from the three-grating Mach - Zehnder interferometer based on nanofabricated grating structures (MIT) or standing-wave light-field gratings (Innsbruck), to the Talbot - Lau atom interferometer (Berkeley and Michigan), to atom interferometers based on internal-state labelling such as separated light-field interferometers (PTB, Hannover and Paris-Nord) and light-pulse interferometers (Stanford). Some of the recent applications of atom interferometry described in the articles include high precision measurements of rotations, the gravitational acceleration, and the fine structure constant (Stanford); measurements of topological phases (PTB and Hannover); correlation experiments with atoms and photons (Konstanz) and with pairs of atoms (Tokyo); holographic manipulation of atoms (Tokyo); and experiments on the quantum theory of measurement (Garching, Harvard and Texas A&M). In summary, this volume provides an excellent up-to-date account of atom interferometry and is recommended as essential reading for all researchers and would-be researchers in the field. At the same time it contains sufficient background material and theory to serve as an excellent introduction for the non-specialist. The field is presently moving at such a rapid pace, however, that many of the latest results reported in this volume will already have been superseded by the time it reaches the library shelves.

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Results of Talbot-vonLau atom interferometry experiments with cold slow potassium

Matthias Reinsch, ShuagYing Li, John F. Clauser

Results of atom interferometry experiments in generalized Talbot-vonLau configurations are presented. AC modulated D2 light from diode lasers is counter-directed on a thermal potassium beam. A pA AC current of cold, slow potassium atoms is extracted through a slit in a heated mirror, transmitted through an interferometer, and ionized by a hotwire. The interferometer consists of a sequence of three planar vacuum slit diffraction gratings, microfabricated from silicon nitride membranes. Interference fringes form a Moire with the third grating and are sensed by measuring the transmission as a function of grating relative position. Different spatial Fourier components (up to 5th) in the diffraction pattern, resonant in the interferometer at different atomic velocities, may be selected via the tuning of the cooling lasers. Shifts of the patterns by gravity and rotation are evident when the vacuum chamber is tilted.

Bulletin of the American Physical Society•May 1, 1993•0 citations
Although interferometry's earliest and most familiar use is with photons, the discovery of matter-wave (deBroglie-wave) interference for electrons demanded the development of quantum mechanics. Since then, matter-wave interferometry has been performed with neutrons, Cooper electron-pairs, and most recently, with whole atoms and diatomic molecules. This talk describes our recent high-flux atom interferometry experiments using the generalized Talbot-vonLau effect. Our interferometer consists of a sequence of three planar vacuum-slit diffraction gratings, microfabricated from silicon nitride membranes. DeBroglie-wave interference fringes are sensed by measuring the transmission of potassium atoms on a hot- wire as a function of grating relative position. Different spatial Fourier components (up to sixth) in the diffraction pattern are resonant in the interferometer at different atomic velocities (i.e., at different wavelengths). When a laser cooled slow atomic beam is incident, various different diffraction patterns are observed as a function of atomic velocity. In an alternative `Heisenberg Microscope' configuration an incident thermal beam produces a velocity average over different fringe Fourier components. AC modulated weak laser light passing through the interferometer interacts selectively with atoms at a specific velocity. The associated fringe pattern is then ac modulated and revealed by its selective destruction.
Results of high flux atom interferometry experiments with potassium in generalized Talbot-vonLau configurations are presented. The interferometer consists of a sequence of three planar vacuum slit diffraction gratings, microfabricated from silicon nitride membranes. Interference fringes are sensed by measuring the transmission of atoms on a hot-wire as a function of grating relative position. Different spatial Fourier components (up to fifth) in the diffraction pattern are resonant in the interferometer at different atomic velocities. When a laser cooled slow beam is incident, various different diffraction patterns are observed as a function of atomic velocity, selected via the tuning of D2 cooling lasers. In an alternative “Heisenberg Microscope” configuration an incident thermal beam produces a velocity average over different fringe Fourier components. Fringe patterns for each HFS component are revealed by their selective destruction by AC modulated weak Dl laser light passing through the interferometer near the middle grating. Since imaging of the fluorescent light could determine which slit an atom passes, the laser removes the fringe pattern contribution by Doppler shifted atoms at its wavelength. That contribution is thus AC modulated and detected. Shifts of the patterns by gravity and rotation are evident when the vacuum chamber is tilted.
Atom de Broglie--wave interference fringes are revealed by their selective destruction. A thermal potassium beam is transmitted through a Talbot-Lau atom interferometer. Different fringe Fourier components resonate in the interferometer at different atomic velocities. The thermal velocity distribution averages and washes out the high-frequency components. ac-modulated laser light passes through the interferometer, is scattered by atoms at one velocity, and destroys, and thereby reveals via the ac modulation, the associated high-frequency fringe contribution.
We present results of atom interferometry experiments in which spatial matter - wave interference is revealed by its selective destruction. A thermal potassium beam is transmitted through a velocity selective atom interferometer and detected. The interferometer is a sequence of three diffraction gratings. Interference fringes forming a Moire pattern with the third grating determine the transmission. The thermal beam produces a velocity average over different fringe Fourier components, each resonant in the interferometer at a different atomic velocity. AC modulated laser light passes through the interferometer, near the middle grating. Since imaging of the fluorescent light could be used to determine which slit an atom passes, the contribution to the fringe pattern by atoms at the laser`s Doppler shifted wavelength is removed. That component is thus AC modulated and detected. This {open_quotes}atom interference filter{close_quotes} resolves the K{sup 39} HFS.
A dc hot thermal and an ac-modulated cold slow potassium beam copropagate and pass through an atom de Broglie--wave interferometer, consisting of a sequence of three microfabricated diffraction gratings. Talbot-vonLau interference fringes are formed and sensed by measuring transmission with a hot wire as a function of grating position. The hot beam produces diffraction-limited shadow Moir\'e fringes, while the longer de Broglie wavelength slow beam produces interference fringes with high visibility at the fifth and sixth spatial harmonics of the shadow Moir\'e fringes.
Matter - wave interferometry began with the development of electron interferometers and neutron interferometers in the 1950s and 1960s, but it wasn't until 1991 that the first atom matter - wave interferometer was realized. This was followed by a surge of activity sparked by the advent of sources of ultracold laser-cooled atoms. Some of the potential advantages of atom interferometry over neutron interferometry include: much higher particle fluxes, lower particle velocities, larger particle masses, particles with internal states, and laboratory-based sources. This volume is the first text on atom interferometry. It consists of ten comprehensive review articles by leading researchers in the field, many of whom pioneered the first atom interferometers in 1991. The articles describe the different types of atom interferometers developed to date, ranging from the three-grating Mach - Zehnder interferometer based on nanofabricated grating structures (MIT) or standing-wave light-field gratings (Innsbruck), to the Talbot - Lau atom interferometer (Berkeley and Michigan), to atom interferometers based on internal-state labelling such as separated light-field interferometers (PTB, Hannover and Paris-Nord) and light-pulse interferometers (Stanford). Some of the recent applications of atom interferometry described in the articles include high precision measurements of rotations, the gravitational acceleration, and the fine structure constant (Stanford); measurements of topological phases (PTB and Hannover); correlation experiments with atoms and photons (Konstanz) and with pairs of atoms (Tokyo); holographic manipulation of atoms (Tokyo); and experiments on the quantum theory of measurement (Garching, Harvard and Texas A&M). In summary, this volume provides an excellent up-to-date account of atom interferometry and is recommended as essential reading for all researchers and would-be researchers in the field. At the same time it contains sufficient background material and theory to serve as an excellent introduction for the non-specialist. The field is presently moving at such a rapid pace, however, that many of the latest results reported in this volume will already have been superseded by the time it reaches the library shelves.
Results of atom interferometry experiments in generalized Talbot-vonLau configurations are presented. AC modulated D2 light from diode lasers is counter-directed on a thermal potassium beam. A pA AC current of cold, slow potassium atoms is extracted through a slit in a heated mirror, transmitted through an interferometer, and ionized by a hotwire. The interferometer consists of a sequence of three planar vacuum slit diffraction gratings, microfabricated from silicon nitride membranes. Interference fringes form a Moire with the third grating and are sensed by measuring the transmission as a function of grating relative position. Different spatial Fourier components (up to 5th) in the diffraction pattern, resonant in the interferometer at different atomic velocities, may be selected via the tuning of the cooling lasers. Shifts of the patterns by gravity and rotation are evident when the vacuum chamber is tilted.