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IEEE International Symposium on Inertial Sensors and Systems (INERTIAL)

Concept of a miniature atomic sensor

Paul Hamilton, Matt Jaffe, Justin M. Brown, Brian Estey, Holger Müller, R. L. Compton, Karl D. Nelson

Published Feb 1, 2014• 2 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We present preliminary results of our research program towards multi-axis quantum acceleration sensors in a compact package, using Bloch oscillations of matter waves to provide large momentum transfer. The projected performance is discussed. We demonstrate the first Mach-Zehnder atom interferometer in which a cavity mode is used for addressing the atoms.

DOI
10.1109/isiss.2014.6782507

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We present preliminary results of our research program towards multi-axis quantum acceleration sensors in a compact package, using Bloch oscillations of matter waves to provide large momentum transfer. The projected performance is discussed. We demonstrate the first Mach-Zehnder atom interferometer in which a cavity mode is used for addressing the atoms.
Beyond the T2T^2T2 scaling in acceleration-sensitive atom interferometers
A Mach-Zehnder atom interferometer can be used to measure acceleration with a T2T^2T2 scaling in sensitivity as interrogation time TTT is increased. We predict and experimentally measure the acceleration-sensitive phase shift of a large-momentum-transfer atom interferometer based upon Bloch oscillations. Using this novel interferometric scheme we demonstrate an improved scaling of sensitivity which will approach T3T^3T3 in the limit of large interrogation time. This enhanced scaling will allow an increase in bandwidth for acceleration-sensitive atom interferometers.
Atom interferometers have been used to measure acceleration with at best a T2T^2T2 scaling in sensitivity as the interferometer time TTT is increased. This limits the sensitivity to acceleration which is theoretically achievable by these configurations for a given frequency of acceleration. We predict and experimentally measure the acceleration-sensitive phase shift of a large-momentum-transfer atom interferometer based upon Bloch oscillations. Using this novel interferometric scheme we demonstrate an improved scaling of sensitivity which will scale as T3T^3T3. This enhanced scaling will allow an increase in achievable sensitivity for any given frequency of an oscillatory acceleration signal, which will be of particular use for inertial and navigational sensors, and proposed gravitational wave detectors. A straight forward extension should allow a T4T^4T4 scaling in acceleration sensitivity.
We describe an ultra-compact (∼10 cm3 physics package) inertial sensor based on atomic matter waves that are guided within an optical lattice during almost the entire interferometer cycle. We demonstrate a large momentum transfer of up to 8 ℏk photon momentum with a combination of Bragg pulses and Bloch oscillations with scalability to larger numbers of photons. Between momentum transfer steps, we maintain the atoms in a co-moving optical lattice waveguide so that the atoms are in free space only during the Bragg pulses. Our guided matter wave approach paves the way for atomic inertial sensing in dynamic environments in which untrapped atoms would otherwise quickly collide with the walls of a miniature chamber.
We propose and demonstrate a new scheme for atom interferometry, using light pulses inside an optical cavity as matter wave beam splitters. The cavity provides power enhancement, spatial filtering, and a precise beam geometry, enabling new techniques such as low power beam splitters (<100 μW), large momentum transfer beam splitters with modest power, or new self-aligned interferometer geometries utilizing the transverse modes of the optical cavity. As a first demonstration, we obtain Ramsey-Raman fringes with >75% contrast and measure the acceleration due to gravity, g, to 60 μg/sqrt[Hz] resolution in a Mach-Zehnder geometry. We use >10(7) cesium atoms in the compact mode volume (600 μm 1/e(2) waist) of the cavity and show trapping of atoms in higher transverse modes. This work paves the way toward compact, high sensitivity, multiaxis interferometry.
Bloch oscillations of atoms in optical lattices are a powerful technique that can boost the sensitivity of atom interferometers to a wide range of signals by large momentum transfer. To leverage this method to its full potential, an accurate theoretical description of losses and phases is needed going beyond existing treatments. Here, we present a comprehensive theoretical framework for Bloch-oscillation-enhanced atom interferometry and verify its accuracy through comparison with an exact numerical solution of the Schrödinger equation. Our approach establishes design criteria to reach the fundamental efficiency and accuracy limits of large momentum transfer using Bloch oscillations. We compare these limits to the case of current state-of-the-art experiments and make projections for the next generation of quantum sensors.
Bloch oscillations (i.e., coherent acceleration of matter waves by an optical lattice) and Bragg diffraction are integrated into light-pulse atom interferometers with large momentum splitting between the interferometer arms, and hence enhanced sensitivity. Simultaneous acceleration of both arms in the same internal states suppresses systematic effects, and simultaneously running a pair of interferometers suppresses the effect of vibrations. Ramsey-Bordé interferometers using four such Bloch-Bragg-Bloch beam splitters exhibit 15% contrast at 24variant Planck's over 2pik splitting, the largest so far (variant Planck's over 2pik is the photon momentum); single beam splitters achieve 88variant Planck's over 2pik. The prospects for reaching 100 s of variant Planck's over 2pik and applications such as gravitational wave sensors are discussed.