High-resolution velocity selecting separated-field excitation of a calcium atomic beam

R. Ohmukai, S. Urabe, Masahito Watanabe

M. Otake, Kentaro Fukuda, M. Tachikawa

J. Helmcke, M. Gläser, F. Riehle +2 more

A procedure is suggested for compensating the broadening due to the quadratic Doppler effect and for band shifts caused by phase mismatch in the observation of a Ramsey signal in an atomic calcium beam. The relative error in the frequency stabilized by this method is estimated to be 2 × 10 − 12 .

A. D. Gazazyan, Razmik G. Unanyan

F. Riehle, Atsuo Morinaga, Jun Ishikawa +2 more

Velocity-selective absorption by a long lifetime transition in a calcium atomic beam has been measured for two spatially separated counterpropagating laser beams. The observed variation of the absorbed power as well as of the Lamb dip depth with laser power and with velocity of the atoms is in agreement with calculations of Rabi cycles.

J. Helmcke, F. Riehle, A Witte +1 more

Physics and experimental results of atom interferometry are reviewed and several realizations of atom interferometers are summarized. As a typical example of an atom interferometer utilizing the internal degrees of freedom of the atom, we discuss the separated field excitation of a calcium atomic beam using four traveling laser fields and demonstrate the Sagnac effect in a rotating interferometer. The sensitivity of this interferometer can be largely increased by use of slow atoms with narrow velocity distribution. We therefore furthermore report on the preparation of a laser cooled and deflected calcium atomic beam.