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

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Atom interferometry

Maggie McKee

Published Oct 6, 2015• 1 citation
Publisher

Abstract

Sometimes you have to think outside the box. Faced with some of the universe’s most stubborn mysteries, such as the identity of dark matter, physicists are turning to a technique that employs the weird laws of quantum mechanics: atom interferometry. Atom interferometers allow the study of various physical phenomena by splitting atom waves using a nanograting, such as this one. Composed of silicon nitride, this grating, imaged with a scanning electron microscope, has a period of 100 nm. Image courtesy of Alex Cronin (University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ). This method, which takes advantage of the fact that quantum particles behave like waves, crashes these waves together to study gravity and atoms, and to pinpoint the value of fundamental physical constants. The hope is that the relatively new technique can be developed into a measurement tool of unprecedented sensitivity to test these phenomena, as well as to reveal potentially unseen particles and forces. “It has a lot of untapped potential,” says Holger Muller of the University of California, Berkeley. But he admits, “Honestly, what drew me mostly was that it’s extremely challenging experimentally ... and I love an experimental challenge.” The idea that particles can behave as waves that can be sloshed together dates back to the birth of quantum mechanics about a century ago. But it took decades to test because atoms have much shorter inherent wavelengths—about a …

DOI
10.1073/pnas.1515379112

Related papers

More Power to Atom Interferometry

Alexander D. Cronin, Raisa Trubko

Atom interferometry, in which atomic waves are coherently split and later recombined, has been called the Swiss Army knife of atomic physics because of its numerous applications [1]. Atom interferometers can be used to study gravity, observe quantum effects, and measure fundamental constants. However, the spitting of atomic beams has always been a challenging task. Several beam splitters for atoms have been developed over the years, many of which rely on complex, high-powered lasers whose photons collide with atoms to steer them along separate beam paths. Paul Hamilton and colleagues at the University of California, Berkeley, have built a more versatile beam splitter by using, for the first time, an optical cavity [2]. Laser pulses bounce back and forth inside the cavity, increasing the effective power in standing waves of light and reducing imperfections in the wave fronts. The light concentration within the cavity allows the use of common low-powered lasers for the initial pulses. The new design may lead to a universal atom interferometer with optical gratings that works with a wide range of atomic species.

Physics•Mar 11, 2015•1 citation

Atom Interferometers Prove Their Worth in Atomic Measurements

Barbara Goss Levi

Thanks to the wave nature of matter, it's possible to build the atomic analog of an optical interferometer, although it's extremely difficult, because the de Broglie wavelengths of atoms are typically 10 000 times shorter than those of light. The feat was accomplished four years ago by a number of groups, each with a different scheme for splitting and recombining the matter waves. (See PHYSICS TODAY, July 1991, page 17.) We are now starting to see the fulfillment of the hopes raised by those first atom interferometers as researchers hone their interferometers to yield ever more precise values of fundamental constants or explore fundamental aspects of quantum mechanics such as Berry's phase. For example, Steven Chu and his colleagues at Stanford University have measured the ratio h/m of Planck's constant to the mass of a cesium atom with a precision of one part in 107, although the systematic errors are at the level of 1 part in 106. An experiment to improve the absolute accuracy of the h/m measurement to a few parts in 109 is underway. This ratio is one factor in the determination of the finestructure constant.

Physics Today•Jul 1, 1995•6 citations

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.

Measurement Science and Technology•Sep 1, 1997•1 citation

Matter-wave/atom interferometry

John F. Clauser, Shifang Li

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.

Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE•Dec 12, 1994•0 citations

Matter Waves : from quantum simulators to tests of general relativity

Philippe Bouyer

All objects in the universe simultaneously present microscopic properties of waves and particles. This basic concept of quantum mechanics is at the origin of matter wave optics and interferometry, where beams of atoms can diffract and interfere. There is even today coherent sources (laser) with atoms. These tools enable us to develop devices that simulate the phenomena of electronic conduction in semiconductors, or build highly sensitive instruments that could, for example, test the laws of universal gravitation. The lecture will present recent scientific progress obtained with these tools towards these directions.

•Jul 12, 2010•0 citations

Atom interferometry and the Earth sciences

Jeremiah Mitchell

Atom interferometry is a quantum sensor technology that uses ultra-cold atoms placed in entangled quantum states to detect minute changes in local fields arising from gravitational waves and ultra-light dark matter. Their extreme sensitivity to accelerations has been demonstrated for measurements of Newton’s gravitation constant, tests of the Equivalence Principle, and measurement of local gravity gradients. The search for ultra-light dark matter and measurements of gravitational waves requires interferometer baselines greater than approximately 100 m. In understanding the fundamental systematics and backgrounds of these detectors, we have discovered that atmospheric and seismic effects, even though physically decoupled from the atoms which are in vacuum and free-fall, are still detectable by the quantum phase of the atoms. From a different perspective these “noise” sources are also interesting signals that we may be able to understand better with these sensor platforms leading to cross-disciplinary studies in Earth sciences.

Optical and Quantum Sensing and Precision Metrology II•Mar 13, 2024•0 citations
Sometimes you have to think outside the box. Faced with some of the universe’s most stubborn mysteries, such as the identity of dark matter, physicists are turning to a technique that employs the weird laws of quantum mechanics: atom interferometry.
Atom interferometers allow the study of various physical phenomena by splitting atom waves using a nanograting, such as this one. Composed of silicon nitride, this grating, imaged with a scanning electron microscope, has a period of 100 nm. Image courtesy of Alex Cronin (University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ).
This method, which takes advantage of the fact that quantum particles behave like waves, crashes these waves together to study gravity and atoms, and to pinpoint the value of fundamental physical constants. The hope is that the relatively new technique can be developed into a measurement tool of unprecedented sensitivity to test these phenomena, as well as to reveal potentially unseen particles and forces.
“It has a lot of untapped potential,” says Holger Muller of the University of California, Berkeley. But he admits, “Honestly, what drew me mostly was that it’s extremely challenging experimentally ... and I love an experimental challenge.”
The idea that particles can behave as waves that can be sloshed together dates back to the birth of quantum mechanics about a century ago. But it took decades to test because atoms have much shorter inherent wavelengths—about a …
Atom interferometry, in which atomic waves are coherently split and later recombined, has been called the Swiss Army knife of atomic physics because of its numerous applications [1]. Atom interferometers can be used to study gravity, observe quantum effects, and measure fundamental constants. However, the spitting of atomic beams has always been a challenging task. Several beam splitters for atoms have been developed over the years, many of which rely on complex, high-powered lasers whose photons collide with atoms to steer them along separate beam paths. Paul Hamilton and colleagues at the University of California, Berkeley, have built a more versatile beam splitter by using, for the first time, an optical cavity [2]. Laser pulses bounce back and forth inside the cavity, increasing the effective power in standing waves of light and reducing imperfections in the wave fronts. The light concentration within the cavity allows the use of common low-powered lasers for the initial pulses. The new design may lead to a universal atom interferometer with optical gratings that works with a wide range of atomic species.
Thanks to the wave nature of matter, it's possible to build the atomic analog of an optical interferometer, although it's extremely difficult, because the de Broglie wavelengths of atoms are typically 10 000 times shorter than those of light. The feat was accomplished four years ago by a number of groups, each with a different scheme for splitting and recombining the matter waves. (See PHYSICS TODAY, July 1991, page 17.) We are now starting to see the fulfillment of the hopes raised by those first atom interferometers as researchers hone their interferometers to yield ever more precise values of fundamental constants or explore fundamental aspects of quantum mechanics such as Berry's phase. For example, Steven Chu and his colleagues at Stanford University have measured the ratio h/m of Planck's constant to the mass of a cesium atom with a precision of one part in 107, although the systematic errors are at the level of 1 part in 106. An experiment to improve the absolute accuracy of the h/m measurement to a few parts in 109 is underway. This ratio is one factor in the determination of the finestructure constant.
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.
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.
All objects in the universe simultaneously present microscopic properties of waves and particles. This basic concept of quantum mechanics is at the origin of matter wave optics and interferometry, where beams of atoms can diffract and interfere. There is even today coherent sources (laser) with atoms. These tools enable us to develop devices that simulate the phenomena of electronic conduction in semiconductors, or build highly sensitive instruments that could, for example, test the laws of universal gravitation. The lecture will present recent scientific progress obtained with these tools towards these directions.
Atom interferometry is a quantum sensor technology that uses ultra-cold atoms placed in entangled quantum states to detect minute changes in local fields arising from gravitational waves and ultra-light dark matter. Their extreme sensitivity to accelerations has been demonstrated for measurements of Newton’s gravitation constant, tests of the Equivalence Principle, and measurement of local gravity gradients. The search for ultra-light dark matter and measurements of gravitational waves requires interferometer baselines greater than approximately 100 m. In understanding the fundamental systematics and backgrounds of these detectors, we have discovered that atmospheric and seismic effects, even though physically decoupled from the atoms which are in vacuum and free-fall, are still detectable by the quantum phase of the atoms. From a different perspective these “noise” sources are also interesting signals that we may be able to understand better with these sensor platforms leading to cross-disciplinary studies in Earth sciences.