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

Applied Physics Letters

Point source atom interferometry with a cloud of finite size

Gregory W. Hoth, Bruno Pelle, Stefan Riedl, John E. Kitching, Elizabeth A. Donley

Published Aug 15, 2016• 41 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We demonstrate a two axis gyroscope by the use of light pulse atom interferometry with an expanding cloud of atoms in the regime where the cloud has expanded by 1.1–5 times its initial size during the interrogation. Rotations are measured by analyzing spatial fringe patterns in the atom population obtained by imaging the final cloud. The fringes arise from a correlation between an atom's initial velocity and its final position. This correlation is naturally created by the expansion of the cloud, but it also depends on the initial atomic distribution. We show that the frequency and contrast of these spatial fringes depend on the details of the initial distribution and develop an analytical model to explain this dependence. We also discuss several challenges that must be overcome to realize a high-performance gyroscope with this technique.

DOI
10.1063/1.4961527

Related papers

Dependence of scale factor on initial cloud size for an atom-ball gyroscope

Bruno Pelle, Gregory W. Hoth, Stefan Riedl +2 more

We present an atom interferometer based on an expanding cloud of laser-cooled atoms sensitive to 2-axis rotations and 1-axis acceleration in an effective volume of 1 cm3. We observed spatially resolved fringes by imaging the expanding cloud after short free-fall durations. If the atom cloud does not start as a point source, a bias is introduced in the scale factor that differs from the simple point-source limit. We explored the scale factor deviation experimentally with different initial cloud sizes and will present our understanding of this important systematic.

Conference on Precision Electromagnetic Measurements•Jul 1, 2016•0 citations

Analytical tools for point source interferometry

Gregory W. Hoth, Bruno Pelle, John E. Kitching +1 more

Light pulse atom interferometry can be used to realize high-performance sensors of accelerations and rotations. In order to broaden the range of applications of these sensors, it is desirable to reduce their size and complexity. Point source interferometry (PSI) is a promising technique for accomplishing both of these goals. With PSI, rotations are measured by detecting the orientation and frequency of spatial fringe patterns in the atomic state. These spatial fringes are primarily due to a correlation between an atom's initial velocity and its final position, which is created by the expansion of a cold atom cloud. However, the fringe patterns are also influenced by the structure of the initial atomic distribution. We summarize several methods that can be used to investigate the relationship between the spatial fringe pattern and the initial atomic distribution. This relationship will need to be understood in detail to realize an accurate gyroscope based on PSI.

Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE•Feb 20, 2017•1 citation

Extended source interferometry in the compact regime

Bruno Pelle, Gregory W. Hoth, Stefan Riedl +2 more

We present an atom interferometer based on an expanding cloud of laser-cooled atoms sensitive to rotations along two axes and acceleration along one axis in an effective volume of 1 cm3. We observed spatially resolved fringes created by the apparatus' rotation by imaging the expanding cloud after short free-fall durations. If the atom cloud does not start as a point source, a bias is introduced in the scale factor that differs from the simple point-source limit. We explored the scale factor deviation experimentally with different initial cloud sizes and present our understanding of this important systematic.

European Frequency and Time Forum•Apr 1, 2016•0 citations

Robust inertial sensing with point-source atom interferometry for interferograms spanning a partial period

Yun-Jhih Chen, Azure Hansen, Moshe Shuker +3 more

Point source atom interferometry (PSI) uses the velocity distribution in a cold atom cloud to simultaneously measure one axis of acceleration and two axes of rotation from the spatial distribution of interferometer phase in an expanded cloud of atoms. Previously, the interferometer phase has been found from the phase, orientation, and period of the resulting spatial atomic interference fringe images. For practical applications in inertial sensing and precision measurement, it is important to be able to measure a wide range of system rotation rates, corresponding to interferograms with far less than one full interference fringe to very many fringes. Interferogram analysis techniques based on image processing used previously for PSI are challenging to implement for low rotation rates that generate less than one full interference fringe across the cloud. We introduce a new experimental method that is closely related to optical phase-shifting interferometry that is effective in extracting rotation values from signals consisting of fractional fringes as well as many fringes without prior knowledge of the rotation rate. The method finds the interferometer phase for each pixel in the image from four interferograms, each with a controlled Raman laser phase shift, to reconstruct the underlying atomic interferometer phase map without image processing.

arXiv:2005.11929•Optics Express•Oct 1, 2020•9 citations

Robust inertial sensing with point-source atom interferometry for interferograms spanning a partial period

Yun-Jhih Chen, Azure Hansen, M. Shuker +3 more

Point source atom interferometry (PSI) uses the velocity distribution in a cold atom cloud to simultaneously measure one axis of acceleration and two axes of rotation from the spatial distribution of interferometer phase in an expanded cloud of atoms. Previously, the interferometer phase has been found from the phase, orientation, and period of the resulting spatial atomic interference fringe images. For practical applications in inertial sensing and precision measurement, it is important to be able to measure a wide range of system rotation rates, corresponding to interferograms with far less than one full interference fringe to very many fringes. Interferogram analysis techniques based on image processing used previously for PSI are challenging to implement for low rotation rates that generate less than one full interference fringe across the cloud. We introduce a new experimental method that is closely related to optical phase-shifting interferometry that is effective in extracting rotation values from signals consisting of fractional fringes as well as many fringes without prior knowledge of the rotation rate. The method finds the interferometer phase for each pixel in the image from four interferograms, each with a controlled Raman laser phase shift, to reconstruct the underlying atomic interferometer phase map without image processing.

•Jan 1, 2020•6 citations

Multi-axis atom interferometer gyroscope with a single source of atoms

Yun-Jhih Chen, Azure Hansen, Gregory W. Hoth +4 more

Using the technique of point source atom interferometry, we characterize the sensitivity of a multi-axis gyroscope based on free-space Raman interrogation of a single source of cold atoms in a glass vacuum cell. The instrument simultaneously measures the acceleration in the direction of the Raman laser beams and the component of the rotation vector in the plane perpendicular to that direction. We characterize the sensitivities for the magnitude and direction of the rotation vector measurement, which are 0.033 $^{\circ}/\mathrm{s}$ and 0.27 $^{\circ}$ with one second averaging time, respectively. The sensitivity could be improved by increasing the Raman interrogation time, allowing the cold-atom cloud to expand further, correcting the fluctuations in the initial cloud shape, and reducing sources of technical noise. The unique ability of the PSI technique to measure the rotation vector in a plane may permit applications of atom interferometry such as tracking the precession of a rotation vector and gyrocompassing.

arXiv:1812.00106•Dec 1, 2018•9 citations
We demonstrate a two axis gyroscope by the use of light pulse atom interferometry with an expanding cloud of atoms in the regime where the cloud has expanded by 1.1–5 times its initial size during the interrogation. Rotations are measured by analyzing spatial fringe patterns in the atom population obtained by imaging the final cloud. The fringes arise from a correlation between an atom's initial velocity and its final position. This correlation is naturally created by the expansion of the cloud, but it also depends on the initial atomic distribution. We show that the frequency and contrast of these spatial fringes depend on the details of the initial distribution and develop an analytical model to explain this dependence. We also discuss several challenges that must be overcome to realize a high-performance gyroscope with this technique.
We present an atom interferometer based on an expanding cloud of laser-cooled atoms sensitive to 2-axis rotations and 1-axis acceleration in an effective volume of 1 cm3. We observed spatially resolved fringes by imaging the expanding cloud after short free-fall durations. If the atom cloud does not start as a point source, a bias is introduced in the scale factor that differs from the simple point-source limit. We explored the scale factor deviation experimentally with different initial cloud sizes and will present our understanding of this important systematic.
Light pulse atom interferometry can be used to realize high-performance sensors of accelerations and rotations. In order to broaden the range of applications of these sensors, it is desirable to reduce their size and complexity. Point source interferometry (PSI) is a promising technique for accomplishing both of these goals. With PSI, rotations are measured by detecting the orientation and frequency of spatial fringe patterns in the atomic state. These spatial fringes are primarily due to a correlation between an atom's initial velocity and its final position, which is created by the expansion of a cold atom cloud. However, the fringe patterns are also influenced by the structure of the initial atomic distribution. We summarize several methods that can be used to investigate the relationship between the spatial fringe pattern and the initial atomic distribution. This relationship will need to be understood in detail to realize an accurate gyroscope based on PSI.
We present an atom interferometer based on an expanding cloud of laser-cooled atoms sensitive to rotations along two axes and acceleration along one axis in an effective volume of 1 cm3. We observed spatially resolved fringes created by the apparatus' rotation by imaging the expanding cloud after short free-fall durations. If the atom cloud does not start as a point source, a bias is introduced in the scale factor that differs from the simple point-source limit. We explored the scale factor deviation experimentally with different initial cloud sizes and present our understanding of this important systematic.
Point source atom interferometry (PSI) uses the velocity distribution in a cold atom cloud to simultaneously measure one axis of acceleration and two axes of rotation from the spatial distribution of interferometer phase in an expanded cloud of atoms. Previously, the interferometer phase has been found from the phase, orientation, and period of the resulting spatial atomic interference fringe images. For practical applications in inertial sensing and precision measurement, it is important to be able to measure a wide range of system rotation rates, corresponding to interferograms with far less than one full interference fringe to very many fringes. Interferogram analysis techniques based on image processing used previously for PSI are challenging to implement for low rotation rates that generate less than one full interference fringe across the cloud. We introduce a new experimental method that is closely related to optical phase-shifting interferometry that is effective in extracting rotation values from signals consisting of fractional fringes as well as many fringes without prior knowledge of the rotation rate. The method finds the interferometer phase for each pixel in the image from four interferograms, each with a controlled Raman laser phase shift, to reconstruct the underlying atomic interferometer phase map without image processing.
Point source atom interferometry (PSI) uses the velocity distribution in a cold atom cloud to simultaneously measure one axis of acceleration and two axes of rotation from the spatial distribution of interferometer phase in an expanded cloud of atoms. Previously, the interferometer phase has been found from the phase, orientation, and period of the resulting spatial atomic interference fringe images. For practical applications in inertial sensing and precision measurement, it is important to be able to measure a wide range of system rotation rates, corresponding to interferograms with far less than one full interference fringe to very many fringes. Interferogram analysis techniques based on image processing used previously for PSI are challenging to implement for low rotation rates that generate less than one full interference fringe across the cloud. We introduce a new experimental method that is closely related to optical phase-shifting interferometry that is effective in extracting rotation values from signals consisting of fractional fringes as well as many fringes without prior knowledge of the rotation rate. The method finds the interferometer phase for each pixel in the image from four interferograms, each with a controlled Raman laser phase shift, to reconstruct the underlying atomic interferometer phase map without image processing.
Using the technique of point source atom interferometry, we characterize the sensitivity of a multi-axis gyroscope based on free-space Raman interrogation of a single source of cold atoms in a glass vacuum cell. The instrument simultaneously measures the acceleration in the direction of the Raman laser beams and the component of the rotation vector in the plane perpendicular to that direction. We characterize the sensitivities for the magnitude and direction of the rotation vector measurement, which are 0.033 ∘/s^{\circ}/\mathrm{s}∘/s and 0.27 ∘^{\circ}∘ with one second averaging time, respectively. The sensitivity could be improved by increasing the Raman interrogation time, allowing the cold-atom cloud to expand further, correcting the fluctuations in the initial cloud shape, and reducing sources of technical noise. The unique ability of the PSI technique to measure the rotation vector in a plane may permit applications of atom interferometry such as tracking the precession of a rotation vector and gyrocompassing.