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 A

de Broglie wave-front curvature induced by electric-field gradients and its effect on precision measurements with an atom interferometer

Ivan Hromada, Raisa Trubko, William F. Holmgren, Maxwell D. Gregoire, Alexander D. Cronin

Published Mar 10, 2014• 5 citations
Publisher

Abstract

To improve precision measurements made with atom interferometers, the effect of de Broglie wave-front curvature induced by a lens inside an atom interferometer is experimentally demonstrated and theoretically analyzed. Electrostatic lenses shift, magnify, and distort atom interference fringes, which modifies the phase and the contrast of the interference signals. Informed by these observations, an improved method is presented for analyzing measurements of atomic beam velocity distributions using phase choppers [W. F. Holmgren, I. Hromada, C. E. Klauss, and A. D. Cronin, New J. Phys. 13, 115007 (2011)].

DOI
10.1103/physreva.89.033612

Related papers

Atom optical shop testing of electrostatic lenses using an atom interferometer

Ivan Hromada, Raisa Trubko, William F. Holmgren +2 more

We used an atom interferometer for atom optical shop testing of lenses for atomic de Broglie waves. We measured focal lengths and spherical aberrations of electrostatic lenses in three independent ways based on contrast data, phase data, or calculations of de Broglie wavefront curvature. We report focal lengths of -2.5 km and -21.7 km with 5% uncertainty for different lenses. All three methods give consistent results. Understanding how lenses magnify and distort atom interference fringes helps improve atom beam velocity measurements made with phase choppers [New J. Phys. 13, 115007 (2011)], which in turn will improve the accuracy of atomic polarizability measurements.

arXiv:1312.1315•Dec 4, 2013•0 citations

Measurements of Atomic Beam Velocities with Phase Choppers and Precision Measurements of Alkali Atomic Polarizabilities

Ivan Hromada

Atom interferometers, in which de Broglie waves are coherently split and recombined to make interference fringes, now serve as precision measurement tools for several quantities in physics. Examples include measurements of Newton's constant, the fine structure constant, van der Waals potentials, and atomic polarizabilities. To make next-generation measurements of static electric dipole atomic polarizabilities with an atom beam interferometer, I worked on new methods to precisely measure the velocity distribution for atom beams. I will explain how I developed and used phase choppers to measure lithium, sodium, potassium, and cesium atomic beam velocities with 0.07% accuracy. I also present new measurements of polarizability for these atoms. I classify systematic errors into two broad categories: (1) fractional errors that are similar for all different types of atoms in our experiments, and (2), errors that scale with de Broglie wavelength or inverse atomic momentum in our experiments. This distinction is important for estimating the uncertainty in our measurements of ratios of atomic polarizabilities, e.g., αCs / αNₐ = 2.488(12).

•Jan 1, 2014•0 citations

Wavefront curvature and transverse atomic motion in time-resolved atom interferometry: Impact and mitigation

Anonymous, Jeremiah Mitchell, V. Gibson +1 more

Time-resolved atom interferometry, as employed in applications such as gravitational-wave detection and searches for ultralight dark matter, requires precise control over systematic effects. In this work, we investigate phase noise arising from shot-to-shot fluctuations in the atoms’ transverse motion in the presence of the wavefront curvature of the interferometer beam, and analyze its dependence on the laser-beam geometry in long-baseline, large-momentum-transfer atom interferometers. We use a semiclassical framework to derive analytical expressions for the effective phase perturbation in position-averaged measurements and validate them using Monte Carlo simulations. Applied to 100 m and 1 km atom gradiometers representative of next-generation experiments, the model shows that configurations maximizing pulse efficiency also amplify curvature-induced phase noise, requiring micron-level control of the atom cloud's center-of-mass position and submicron-per-second control of its center-of-mass velocity to achieve sub- 10 − 5 rad phase stability. Alternative beam geometries can suppress this noise by up to 2 orders of magnitude, but at the cost of reduced pulse efficiency. To address this limitation, we propose a mitigation strategy based on position-resolved phase-shift readout, which empirically learns and corrects the wavefront-induced bias from measurable quantities such as the phase-shift gradient and final cloud position. This approach restores high-sensitivity operation in the maximum-pulse-efficiency configuration without detailed beam characterization, providing a practical route toward next-generation, time-resolved atom interferometers operating at the 10 − 5 rad noise level.

•Jul 2, 2026•0 citations

Using atom optics to measure van der Waals atom-surface interactions

John D. Perreault

Atom-surface interactions are becoming an integral part of the field of atom optics. Here the role of van der Waals atom-surface interactions in atom wave diffraction and interferometry are investigated. In particular, it is shown that van der Waals interactions influence the intensity and phase of atomic diffraction patterns obtained from material gratings. As a result the atomic diffraction patterns are utilized to make an accurate determination of the interaction strength and verify the spatial variation of the atom-surface potential. A theory for describing the modified atom wave diffraction patterns is developed through an analogy with optical waves. An atom interferometer is used to directly measure the de Broglie wave phase shift induced by atom-surface interactions. More specifically, the phases of the zeroth, first, and second diffraction orders are measured. A proposal for using electromagnetic fields to modify the van der Waals interaction is put forth. Several of the important experimental components for observing such an effect are also demonstrated.

•Jan 1, 2005•0 citations

Dispersion Compensation for Atom Interferometry

Tony Roberts, Alexander D. Cronin, Martin V. Tiberg +1 more

A new technique for maintaining high contrast in an atom interferometer is used to measure large de Broglie wave phase shifts. Dependence of an interaction induced phase on the atoms' velocity is compensated by applying an engineered counterphase. The counterphase is equivalent to a rotation, is precisely determined by a frequency, and can be used to measure phase shifts due to interactions of unknown strength. Phase shifts of 150 rad (5 times larger than previously possible) have now been measured in an atom beam interferometer, and we suggest that this technique can enable comparisons of atomic polarizability with precision of one part in 10,000.

arXiv:quant-ph/0305184•Physical Review Letters•Feb 12, 2004•23 citations

Observing the effect of wave-front aberrations in an atom interferometer by modulating the diameter of Raman beams

Min-Kang Zhou, Qin Luo, Lele Chen +2 more

The effect of wavefront aberrations is one of the most important systematic errors in atom interferometers and limits the accuracy of precision atom gravimeters. A detailed theoretical analysis of this effect is presented, and a theoretical method for observing this effect is proposed and demonstrated in experiment. In addition, with this method, the surface quality of the optical elements in the Raman system was measured with a rms resolution of $0.01\ensuremath{\lambda}$.

Physical Review A•Apr 11, 2016•45 citations
To improve precision measurements made with atom interferometers, the effect of de Broglie wave-front curvature induced by a lens inside an atom interferometer is experimentally demonstrated and theoretically analyzed. Electrostatic lenses shift, magnify, and distort atom interference fringes, which modifies the phase and the contrast of the interference signals. Informed by these observations, an improved method is presented for analyzing measurements of atomic beam velocity distributions using phase choppers [W. F. Holmgren, I. Hromada, C. E. Klauss, and A. D. Cronin, New J. Phys. 13, 115007 (2011)].
We used an atom interferometer for atom optical shop testing of lenses for atomic de Broglie waves. We measured focal lengths and spherical aberrations of electrostatic lenses in three independent ways based on contrast data, phase data, or calculations of de Broglie wavefront curvature. We report focal lengths of -2.5 km and -21.7 km with 5% uncertainty for different lenses. All three methods give consistent results. Understanding how lenses magnify and distort atom interference fringes helps improve atom beam velocity measurements made with phase choppers [New J. Phys. 13, 115007 (2011)], which in turn will improve the accuracy of atomic polarizability measurements.
Atom interferometers, in which de Broglie waves are coherently split and recombined to make interference fringes, now serve as precision measurement tools for several quantities in physics. Examples include measurements of Newton's constant, the fine structure constant, van der Waals potentials, and atomic polarizabilities. To make next-generation measurements of static electric dipole atomic polarizabilities with an atom beam interferometer, I worked on new methods to precisely measure the velocity distribution for atom beams. I will explain how I developed and used phase choppers to measure lithium, sodium, potassium, and cesium atomic beam velocities with 0.07% accuracy. I also present new measurements of polarizability for these atoms. I classify systematic errors into two broad categories: (1) fractional errors that are similar for all different types of atoms in our experiments, and (2), errors that scale with de Broglie wavelength or inverse atomic momentum in our experiments. This distinction is important for estimating the uncertainty in our measurements of ratios of atomic polarizabilities, e.g., αCs / αNₐ = 2.488(12).
Time-resolved atom interferometry, as employed in applications such as gravitational-wave detection and searches for ultralight dark matter, requires precise control over systematic effects. In this work, we investigate phase noise arising from shot-to-shot fluctuations in the atoms’ transverse motion in the presence of the wavefront curvature of the interferometer beam, and analyze its dependence on the laser-beam geometry in long-baseline, large-momentum-transfer atom interferometers. We use a semiclassical framework to derive analytical expressions for the effective phase perturbation in position-averaged measurements and validate them using Monte Carlo simulations. Applied to 100 m and 1 km atom gradiometers representative of next-generation experiments, the model shows that configurations maximizing pulse efficiency also amplify curvature-induced phase noise, requiring micron-level control of the atom cloud's center-of-mass position and submicron-per-second control of its center-of-mass velocity to achieve sub- 10 − 5 rad phase stability. Alternative beam geometries can suppress this noise by up to 2 orders of magnitude, but at the cost of reduced pulse efficiency. To address this limitation, we propose a mitigation strategy based on position-resolved phase-shift readout, which empirically learns and corrects the wavefront-induced bias from measurable quantities such as the phase-shift gradient and final cloud position. This approach restores high-sensitivity operation in the maximum-pulse-efficiency configuration without detailed beam characterization, providing a practical route toward next-generation, time-resolved atom interferometers operating at the 10 − 5 rad noise level.
Atom-surface interactions are becoming an integral part of the field of atom optics. Here the role of van der Waals atom-surface interactions in atom wave diffraction and interferometry are investigated. In particular, it is shown that van der Waals interactions influence the intensity and phase of atomic diffraction patterns obtained from material gratings. As a result the atomic diffraction patterns are utilized to make an accurate determination of the interaction strength and verify the spatial variation of the atom-surface potential. A theory for describing the modified atom wave diffraction patterns is developed through an analogy with optical waves. An atom interferometer is used to directly measure the de Broglie wave phase shift induced by atom-surface interactions. More specifically, the phases of the zeroth, first, and second diffraction orders are measured. A proposal for using electromagnetic fields to modify the van der Waals interaction is put forth. Several of the important experimental components for observing such an effect are also demonstrated.
A new technique for maintaining high contrast in an atom interferometer is used to measure large de Broglie wave phase shifts. Dependence of an interaction induced phase on the atoms' velocity is compensated by applying an engineered counterphase. The counterphase is equivalent to a rotation, is precisely determined by a frequency, and can be used to measure phase shifts due to interactions of unknown strength. Phase shifts of 150 rad (5 times larger than previously possible) have now been measured in an atom beam interferometer, and we suggest that this technique can enable comparisons of atomic polarizability with precision of one part in 10,000.