A Multiple Beam Atomic Interferometer

Martin Weitz, Tobias Heupel, Theodor W. Hänsch

H. Hinderthür, F. Ruschewitz, N. Schaffrath +3 more

H. Hinderthür, V. Rieger, V. Kunnrnann +4 more

Martin Weitz, Tobias Heupel, Theodor W. Hänsch

We report on the demonstration of a multiple beam atom interferometer. While in conventional two-beam atom interferometers a sinusoidal fringe pattern is observed, the fringe pattern measured here resembles the more sharply peaked Airy function known, e.g., from an optical Fabry–Perot resonator. This technique promises to yield an increased precision in atom inter-ferometric measurements of, e.g., rotation or gravitation, since the obtained interference fringes are sharper than those of the corresponding two-beam atom interferometer.

Michael Mei, Síle Nic Chormaic, Sebastian Fray +1 more

Martin Weitz, Tobias Heupel, Theodor W. Hänsch

We have demonstrated a multiple beam atom interferometer. Atoms in a cesium atomic beam are optically pumped into a spatially separating nonabsorbing superposition state consisting of five partial beams in different Zeeman sublevels separated by a momentum of two photon recoils each. When the partial waves are spatially recombined, we observe an interference signal which shows the sharply peaked Airy pattern characteristic for multiple beam interference.