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Physical Review Letters

Double Bragg Interferometry

Henning Ahlers, Hauke Müntinga, André Wenzlawski, Markus Krutzik, Gunnar Tackmann, Sven Abend, Naceur Gaaloul, Enno Giese, Albert Roura, R. Kuhl, Cláus Lämmerzahl, Achim Peters, Patrick Windpassinger, K. Sengstock, W. P. Schleich, Wolfgang A. Ertmer, Ernst Maria Rasel

Published Apr 25, 2016• 89 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We employ light-induced double Bragg diffraction of delta-kick collimated Bose-Einstein condensates to create three symmetric Mach-Zehnder interferometers. They rely on (i) first-order, (ii) two successive first-order, and (iii) second-order processes which demonstrate the scalability of the corresponding momentum transfer. With respect to devices based on conventional Bragg scattering, these symmetric interferometers double the scale factor and feature a better suppression of noise and systematic uncertainties intrinsic to the diffraction process. Moreover, we utilize these interferometers as tiltmeters for monitoring their inclination with respect to gravity.

DOI
10.1103/physrevlett.116.173601

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SPIE Quantum Technologies for Defence and Security•Nov 15, 2024•0 citations
We employ light-induced double Bragg diffraction of delta-kick collimated Bose-Einstein condensates to create three symmetric Mach-Zehnder interferometers. They rely on (i) first-order, (ii) two successive first-order, and (iii) second-order processes which demonstrate the scalability of the corresponding momentum transfer. With respect to devices based on conventional Bragg scattering, these symmetric interferometers double the scale factor and feature a better suppression of noise and systematic uncertainties intrinsic to the diffraction process. Moreover, we utilize these interferometers as tiltmeters for monitoring their inclination with respect to gravity.
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We present the experimental implementation of double Bragg diffraction of Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) as proposed in [E. Giese, A. Roura, G. Tackmann, E. M. Rasel, and W. P. Schleich, Phys. Rev. A \textbf{88}, 053608 (2013)]. We excite Rabi oscillations between the three coupled momentum states ∣0ℏk⟩\left| 0 \hbar k \right\rangle∣0ℏk⟩ and ∣±2ℏk⟩\left| \pm 2 \hbar k \right\rangle∣±2ℏk⟩. By selecting appropriate interaction times we generate highly efficient beamsplitters and mirrors for Bose-Einstein condensates. In addition, we demonstrate higher-order double Bragg diffraction and display beamsplitters with up to $ \pm 6 \hbar k$ momentum transfer. We compare double Bragg diffraction to several other experimental realizations of beamsplitters. Finally, we show that double Bragg diffraction is well suited for matter wave interferometry by realizing a Ramsey-type interferometer in a quasi one-dimensional waveguide.
The use of retroreflection in light-pulse atom interferometry under microgravity conditions naturally leads to a double-diffraction scheme. The two pairs of counterpropagating beams induce simultaneously transitions with opposite momentum transfer that, when acting on atoms initially at rest, give rise to symmetric interferometer configurations where the total momentum transfer is automatically doubled and where a number of noise sources and systematic effects cancel out. Here we extend earlier implementations for Raman transitions to the case of Bragg diffraction. In contrast with the single-diffraction case, the existence of additional off-resonant transitions between resonantly connected states precludes the use of the adiabatic elimination technique. Nevertheless, we have been able to obtain analytic results even beyond the deep Bragg regime by employing the so-called ``method of averaging,'' which can be applied to more general situations of this kind. Our results have been validated by comparison to numerical solutions of the basic equations describing the double-diffraction process.
We construct a Mach-Zehnder interferometer using Bose-Einstein condensed rubidium atoms and optical Bragg diffraction. In contrast to interferometers based on normal diffraction, where only a small percentage of the atoms contribute to the signal, our Bragg diffraction interferometer uses all the condensate atoms. The condensate coherence properties and high phase-space density result in an interference pattern of nearly 100% contrast. The two arms of the interferometer may be completely separated in space, making it an ideal tool that can be used to detect vortices or other topological condensate phases.
Matter-wave interferometers show great a potential for improving inertial sensing. The absence of drifts recommends them for a variety of applications in geodesy, navigation, or fundamental physics. Here, ultracold atomic ensembles, featuring a velocity distribution well below the photon recoil velocity, open up new perspectives. In contrast to standard laser cooling methods, they allow to reach better beam-splitting efficiencies and, hence, a higher contrast as well as to reduce systematic uncertainties and biases. Presently, Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) provide the means to achieve the lowest expansion energies of few picokelvin. Indeed, the momentum distribution of a BEC can be further narrowed after reaching the regime of ballistic expansion, where all mean field energy is converted to kinetic energy, by the application of the delta-kick collimation technique. With such ensembles, Bragg processes can be driven with an efficiency of above 95% as well as Bloch oscillations performed without large atomic losses or dephasing. Both enable efficient large momentum transfer in interferometers to enhance their sensitivity for inertial effects. In a so-called twin-lattice atom interferometers more than thousand photon recoils are used to form compact but sensitive atom interferometers. These methods not only bring in reach extremely accurate gravimeters and accelerometers but also gyroscopes. Like the Sagnac effect in ring laser or fiber gyroscopes, the sensitivity of atom interferometers to rotations increases with the space-time area enclosed by the interferometer. In the case of light interferometers, the latter can be enlarged by forming multiple fiber loops. However, the equivalent for matter-wave interferometers remains an experimental challenge. An atom interferometer with scalable area may be formed in a twin lattice combined with a relaunch mechanism to obtain multi loops as well. Due to this scalability, it offers the perspective of reaching unprecedented sensitivities for rotations in comparably compact sensor head setups. Moreover, atom-chip technologies offer the possibility to generate a BEC and perform delta-kick collimation in a fast and reliable away, paving the way for field-deployable miniaturized atomic devices. Last but not least, the extremely low expansion energies of BECs open up to extend the time atoms spend in the interferometer to tens of seconds. This brings in reach unprecedented sensitivities in space-borne applications such as satellite geodesy.