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Ultracold atom interferometry in space

Maike Diana Lachmann, Holger Ahlers, Dennis Becker, Aline N. Dinkelaker, Jens Große, Ortwin Hellmig, Hauke Müntinga, Vladimir Schkolnik, Stephan Seidel, Thijs Wendrich, André Wenzlawski, Benjamin Carrick, Naceur Gaaloul, Daniel Lüdtke, Claus Braxmaier, Wolfgang A. Ertmer, Markus Krutzik, Cláus Lämmerzahl, Achim Peters, Wolfgang P. Schleich, K. Sengstock, Andreas Wicht, Patrick Windpassinger, Ernst Maria Rasel

Published Jan 1, 2021• 10 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) in free fall constitute a promising source for space-borne interferometry. Indeed, BECs enjoy a slowly expanding wave function, display a large spatial coherence and can be engineered and probed by optical techniques. Here we explore matter-wave fringes of multiple spinor components of a BEC released in free fall employing light-pulses to drive Bragg processes and induce phase imprinting on a sounding rocket. The prevailing microgravity played a crucial role in the observation of these interferences which not only reveal the spatial coherence of the condensates but also allow us to measure differential forces. Our work marks the beginning of matter-wave interferometry in space with future applications in fundamental physics, navigation and earth observation.

DOI
10.15488/11196

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Bulletin of the American Physical Society•Jan 1, 2018•0 citations
Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) in free fall constitute a promising source for space-borne interferometry. Indeed, BECs enjoy a slowly expanding wave function, display a large spatial coherence and can be engineered and probed by optical techniques. Here we explore matter-wave fringes of multiple spinor components of a BEC released in free fall employing light-pulses to drive Bragg processes and induce phase imprinting on a sounding rocket. The prevailing microgravity played a crucial role in the observation of these interferences which not only reveal the spatial coherence of the condensates but also allow us to measure differential forces. Our work marks the beginning of matter-wave interferometry in space with future applications in fundamental physics, navigation and earth observation.
Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) in free fall constitute a promising source for space-borne interferometry. Indeed, BECs enjoy a slowly expanding wave function, display a large spatial coherence and can be engineered and probed by optical techniques. Here we explore matter-wave fringes of multiple spinor components of a BEC released in free fall employing light-pulses to drive Bragg processes and induce phase imprinting on a sounding rocket. The prevailing microgravity played a crucial role in the observation of these interferences which not only reveal the spatial coherence of the condensates but also allow us to measure differential forces. Our work marks the beginning of matter-wave interferometry in space with future applications in fundamental physics, navigation and earth observation.
Inertial sensors based on matter-wave interferometry are currently approaching the precision and accuracy of state-of-the-art classical sensors. While these devices are often realised with ultracold but not Bose-condensed atoms as matter waves, employing Bose-Einstein Condensates (BEC) promises to overcome certain limitations, especially those related to the ensemble's expansion. The point-source like character of BECs also enables utilising spatial interference patterns to measure e.g. rotation rates in single-shot experiments. Matter wave-based inertial sensors are considered for experiments ranging from Gravitational Wave detection to tests of the Universality of Free Fall (UFF) to gain insight into the joint between Quantum Mechanics and General Relativity. In the scope of this thesis, matter-wave interferometry with BECs was demonstrated for the first time in a microgravity environment with the QUANTUS-1 apparatus. The same instrument was then employed as a quantum tiltmeter utilising a novel beam-splitting mechanism known as Bragg Double Diffraction. To this end, the QUANTUS-1 apparatus designed as a BEC instrument to be operated in the drop tower at ZARM at University of Bremen was equipped with optics and laser systems required for performing matter-wave interferometry based on Bragg Diffraction. The apparatus employs an atom chip to create BECs of around 10000 Rubidium 87 atoms within 15 s. With a Mach-Zehnder like interferometer scheme, spatial interference fringes were observed after a free evolution time in the interferometer of up to 677 ms. To achieve these long time scales, a method known as Delta-Kick Collimation (DKC) was adapted to slow the expansion of the BEC to a kinetic energy equivalent below 1 nK, and the atoms were transferred to a non-magnetic Zeeman state via an adiabatic rapid passage (ARP). A similar interferometer scheme with a newly developed beam-splitter mechanism known as Bragg Double Diffraction was used to measure the tilt of the instrument on ground with a precision of up to 4.4 AA rad. This thesis presents an overview of the apparatus including ground-based characterisations of all required experimental steps. Results from over 400 free fall experiments are evaluated for expansion studies of the BEC and matter-wave interferometry in microgravity. The time-evolution of first and second order Bragg Double Diffraction beam splitters is studied, and an interferometer sensitive to the tilt of the instrument is implemented. Based on this work, a gravimeter with a new launch mechanism comprising Bragg beam splitters and Bloch oscillations to enable atomic fountains in atom-chip based devices was developed. The microgravity experiments were adapted for the MAIUS-1 sounding-rocket instrument to create the first man-made BEC in outer space and study the feasibility of operating matter-wave interferometers on space-borne platforms. The results of this thesis lay the groundwork for future space-borne missions using matter-wave interferometry for precision measurements of inertial forces.
On 23rd of January 2017 the first Bose-Einstein Condensate (BEC) in Space was created on-board the sounding rocket mission MAIUS-1. The successful launch marks a major advancement in the effort of performing matter wave interferometry with BECs on space vehicles. Its high BEC-flux enables more than 100 experiments during flight, characterizing the creation of BECs in space, their free evolution, state preparation, and the creation of cold atoms in highly dynamic environments. MAIUS-1 opens a new path towards space borne inertial sensing employing interferometers with high accuracy and sensitivity. Two follow-up missions will investigate dual-species interferometry. Recently several missions were proposed ranging from tests of the universality of free fall to gravimetry. Due to their small initial size and low expansion rates BECs are the ideal source for such an interferometric measurement. The findings of the mission will contribute to the NASA CAL project and BECCAL (NASA and DLR). This research is funded by DLR under grant 50WP1435.
Owing to the low-gravity conditions in space, space-borne laboratories enable experiments with extended free-fall times. Because Bose–Einstein condensates have an extremely low expansion energy, space-borne atom interferometers based on Bose–Einstein condensation have the potential to have much greater sensitivity to inertial forces than do similar ground-based interferometers. On 23 January 2017, as part of the sounding-rocket mission MAIUS- 1, we created Bose–Einstein condensates in space and conducted 110 experiments central to matter-wave interferometry, including laser cooling and trapping of atoms in the presence of the large accelerations experienced during launch. Here we report on experiments conducted during the six minutes of in-space flight in which we studied the phase transition from a thermal ensemble to a Bose–Einstein condensate and the collective dynamics of the resulting condensate. Our results provide insights into conducting cold-atom experiments in space, such as precision interferometry, and pave the way to miniaturizing cold-atom and photon-based quantum information concepts for satellite-based implementation. In addition, space-borne Bose–Einstein condensation opens up the possibility of quantum gas experiments in low-gravity conditions1,2.
Matter-wave sensors are considered to be one of the most promising fields for progress in metrology and fundamental tests. We report on the development of a miniaturized and robust experiment within the QUANTUS collaboration using ultra cold atoms in a free fall environment as a test-bed for matter-wave interferometry on long timescales. Over 200 experiments in microgravity have been performed so far at the ZARM drop tower in Bremen and a BEC was observed after expansion times of up to 1s. The combination of long expansion times and low density samples is beneficial for the application in interferometry. We present the recently implemented interferometer in our chip-based87Rb BEC experiment including on-chip state preparation. Bragg diffraction is used for coherent manipulation, realizing different interferometer schemes. First results on ground and in microgravity are shown.
On 23rd of January 2017 the first Bose-Einstein Condensate (BEC) in Space was created on-board the sounding rocket mission MAIUS-1. The successful launch marks a major advancement in the effort of performing matter wave interferometry with BECs on space vehicles. Its high BEC-flux enables more than 100 experiments during flight, characterizing the creation of BECs in space, their free evolution, state preparation, and the creation of cold atoms in highly dynamic environments. MAIUS-1 opens a new path towards space borne inertial sensing employing interferometers with high accuracy and sensitivity. Two follow-up missions will investigate dual-species interferometry. Recently several missions were proposed ranging from tests of the universality of free fall to gravimetry. Due to their small initial size and low expansion rates BECs are the ideal source for such an interferometric measurement. The findings of the mission will contribute to the NASA CAL project and BECCAL (NASA and DLR). This research is funded by DLR under grant 50WP1435.