Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

Physical Review Letters

Precision Rotation Measurements with an Atom Interferometer Gyroscope

T. L. Gustavson, Philippe Bouyer, Mark A. Kasevich

Published Mar 17, 1997• 787 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We report the demonstration of a Sagnac-effect atom interferometer gyroscope which uses stimulated Raman transitions to coherently manipulate atomic wave packets. We have measured the Earth's rotation rate, and demonstrated a short-term sensitivity to rotations of $2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}8}(\mathrm{rad}/\mathrm{s})/\sqrt{\mathrm{Hz}}$.

DOI
10.1103/physrevlett.78.2046

Related papers

Rotation sensing with a dual atom-interferometer Sagnac gyroscope

T. L. Gustavson, Arnaud Landragin, Mark A. Kasevich

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.

Classical and Quantum Gravity•Jun 8, 2000•474 citations

Dual-atomic-beam matter-wave gyroscope

T. L. Gustavson, Philippe Bouyer, Mark A. Kasevich

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.

Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE•May 15, 1998•15 citations

The Sagnac effect: 20 years of development in matter-wave interferometry

B. Barrett, R. Geiger, Indranil Dutta +5 more

Since the first atom interferometry experiments in 1991, measurements of rotation through the Sagnac effect in open-area atom interferometers have been investigated. These studies have demonstrated very high sensitivity that can compete with state-of-the-art optical Sagnac interferometers. Since the early 2000s, these developments have been motivated by possible applications in inertial guidance and geophysics. Most matter-wave interferometers that have been investigated since then are based on two-photon Raman transitions for the manipulation of atomic wave packets. Results from the two most studied configurations, a space-domain interferometer with atomic beams and a time-domain interferometer with cold atoms, are presented and compared. Finally, the latest generation of cold atom interferometers and their preliminary results are presented.

arXiv:1412.0711•Comptes Rendus Physique•Nov 12, 2014•142 citations

Demonstration of a Sagnac-Type Cold Atom Interferometer with Stimulated Raman Transitions

Wang Ping, Runbing Li, Hui Yan +2 more

Cold-matter-wave Sagnac interferometers possess many advantages over their thermal atomic beam counterparts when they are used as precise inertial sensors. We report a realization of a Sagnac-type interferometer with cold atoms. Cold rubidium atoms are prepared in a magneto-optical trap and are pushed by resonant laser pulse to form slow atomic beam. In the interference region, atomic wave packets are coherently manipulated using π/2−π−π/2 Raman pulse sequences. Interference fringes with maximum contrast of 37% are observed experimentally.

Chinese Physics Letters•Jan 1, 2007•23 citations

Composite-Light-Pulse Technique for High-Precision Atom Interferometry

Peter Berg, Sven Abend, Gunnar Tackmann +6 more

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%.

Physical Review Letters•Feb 9, 2015•195 citations

Precision tests of the Sagnac effect with a two-axis atomic gyroscope

Leonid A. Sidorenkov, Romain Gauthier, Mohamed Guessoum +3 more

The Sagnac effect, manifest in the phase shift of a rotating interferometer proportional to its physical area and to the rotation rate of the frame, plays a crucial role in modern physics being generalized to any kind of interferometer. However, as compared to light, the accurate experimental validation of the Sagnac effect for matter-waves remains challenging. We report the accurate measurement of the Sagnac phase shift, induced by the Earth’s rotation, using a large-area cold atom interferometer. We probe the atomic Sagnac phase shift along the two orthogonal horizontal axes in various orientation of the sensor with respect to geographic north and obtain an agreement with the theoretical prediction at the 20 ppm level, improving by twenty five-fold over the previous achievements for matter waves. Our results underline the universality of the Sagnac effect and open new horizons for testing other fundamental theories, as well as for a number of technological applications in seismology, geodesy and inertial navigation systems.

Quantum Sensing and Nano Electronics and Photonics•Mar 8, 2024•0 citations
We report the demonstration of a Sagnac-effect atom interferometer gyroscope which uses stimulated Raman transitions to coherently manipulate atomic wave packets. We have measured the Earth's rotation rate, and demonstrated a short-term sensitivity to rotations of 2\ifmmode×\else\texttimes\fi10\ensuremath−8(rad/s)/Hz2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}8}(\mathrm{rad}/\mathrm{s})/\sqrt{\mathrm{Hz}}2\ifmmode×\else\texttimes\fi10\ensuremath−8(rad/s)/Hz​.
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.
Since the first atom interferometry experiments in 1991, measurements of rotation through the Sagnac effect in open-area atom interferometers have been investigated. These studies have demonstrated very high sensitivity that can compete with state-of-the-art optical Sagnac interferometers. Since the early 2000s, these developments have been motivated by possible applications in inertial guidance and geophysics. Most matter-wave interferometers that have been investigated since then are based on two-photon Raman transitions for the manipulation of atomic wave packets. Results from the two most studied configurations, a space-domain interferometer with atomic beams and a time-domain interferometer with cold atoms, are presented and compared. Finally, the latest generation of cold atom interferometers and their preliminary results are presented.
Cold-matter-wave Sagnac interferometers possess many advantages over their thermal atomic beam counterparts when they are used as precise inertial sensors. We report a realization of a Sagnac-type interferometer with cold atoms. Cold rubidium atoms are prepared in a magneto-optical trap and are pushed by resonant laser pulse to form slow atomic beam. In the interference region, atomic wave packets are coherently manipulated using π/2−π−π/2 Raman pulse sequences. Interference fringes with maximum contrast of 37% are observed experimentally.
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%.
The Sagnac effect, manifest in the phase shift of a rotating interferometer proportional to its physical area and to the rotation rate of the frame, plays a crucial role in modern physics being generalized to any kind of interferometer. However, as compared to light, the accurate experimental validation of the Sagnac effect for matter-waves remains challenging. We report the accurate measurement of the Sagnac phase shift, induced by the Earth’s rotation, using a large-area cold atom interferometer. We probe the atomic Sagnac phase shift along the two orthogonal horizontal axes in various orientation of the sensor with respect to geographic north and obtain an agreement with the theoretical prediction at the 20 ppm level, improving by twenty five-fold over the previous achievements for matter waves. Our results underline the universality of the Sagnac effect and open new horizons for testing other fundamental theories, as well as for a number of technological applications in seismology, geodesy and inertial navigation systems.