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

IET conference proceedings.

An experimental method for the velocity synchronisation of two-atom fountains

J. Wang, Bangcheng Han, L. Zhang, Y. Wang, J. Bai

Published Dec 15, 2022• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Atom interferometer gravity gradient measurement instrument has a very high measuring resolution when atomic interference of gravity gradient experiments, the first to obtain two atoms using a magneto-optical trap, after throwing or whereabouts and realization of double groups of interference in operation, during the process of the experiment on two-atom fountain behind the speed of synchronization is the prerequisite of implementation measure, In this paper, an experimental method for adjusting the up-throw velocity of a two-atom fountain is introduced. The uniformity of up-throw velocity of a two-atom fountain is achieved by utilizing an optical beam expanding tube of a cooling laser and a geomagnetic compensation coil, which can enhance the detection noise of the atomic interference gravity gradiometer.

DOI
10.1049/icp.2022.3207

Related papers

A Transportable Gravity Gradiometer Based on Atom Interferometry

Nan Yu, Robert J. Thompson, James R. Kellogg +3 more

A transportable atom interferometer-based gravity gradiometer has been developed at JPL to carry out measurements of Earth's gravity field at ever finer spatial resolutions, and to facilitate high-resolution monitoring of temporal variations in the gravity field from ground- and flight-based platforms. Existing satellite-based gravity missions such as CHAMP and GRACE measure the gravity field via precise monitoring of the motion of the satellites; i.e. the satellites themselves function as test masses. JPL's quantum gravity gradiometer employs a quantum phase measurement technique, similar to that employed in atomic clocks, made possible by recent advances in laser cooling and manipulation of atoms. This measurement technique is based on atomwave interferometry, and individual laser-cooled atoms are used as drag-free test masses. The quantum gravity gradiometer employs two identical atom interferometers as precision accelerometers to measure the difference in gravitational acceleration between two points (Figure 1). By using the same lasers for the manipulation of atoms in both interferometers, the accelerometers have a common reference frame and non-inertial accelerations are effectively rejected as common mode noise in the differential measurement of the gravity gradient. As a result, the dual atom interferometer-based gravity gradiometer allows gravity measurements on a moving platform, while achieving the same long-term stability of the best atomic clocks. In the laboratory-based prototype (Figure 2), the cesium atoms used in each atom interferometer are initially collected and cooled in two separate magneto-optic traps (MOTs). Each MOT, consisting of three orthogonal pairs of counter-propagating laser beams centered on a quadrupole magnetic field, collects up to 10(exp 9) atoms. These atoms are then launched vertically as in an atom fountain by switching off the magnetic field and introducing a slight frequency shift between pairs of lasers to create a moving rest frame for the trapped atoms. While still in this moving-frame molasses, the laser frequencies are further detuned from the atomic resonance (while maintaining this relative frequency shift) to cool the atom cloud's temperature to 2 K or below, corresponding to an rms velocity of less than 2 cm/s. After launch, the cold atoms undergo further state and velocity selection to prepare for atom interferometry. The atom interferometers are then realized using laser-induced stimulated Raman transitions to perform the necessary manipulations of each atom, and the resulting interferometer phase is measured using laser-induced fluorescence for state-normalized detection. More than 20 laser beams with independent controls of frequency, phase, and intensity are required for this measurement sequence. This instrument can facilitate the study of Earth's gravitational field from surface and air vehicles, as well as from space by allowing gravity mapping from a low-cost, single spacecraft mission. In addition, the operation of atom interferometer-based instruments in space offers greater sensitivity than is possible in terrestrial instruments due to the much longer interrogation times available in the microgravity environment. A space-based quantum gravity gradiometer has the potential to achieve sensitivities similar to the GRACE mission at long spatial wavelengths, and will also have resolution similar to GOCE for measurement at shorter length scales.

•May 1, 2010•2 citations

Measurement of the Earth's Gravity Gradient with an Atom Interferometer-Based Gravity Gradiometer

M. J. Snadden, J. M. McGuirk, Philippe Bouyer +2 more

We report the demonstration of an atom interferometer-based gravity gradiometer. The gradiometer uses stimulated two-photon Raman transitions to measure the relative accelerations of two ensembles of laser cooled atoms. We have used this instrument to measure the gradient of the Earth's gravitational field.

Physical Review Letters•Aug 1, 1998•444 citations

Construction of a Rubidium Fountain Atomic Interferometer for Gravity Gradiometry

JN Tinsley

Atomic interferometry is a highly precise metrological technique of interest to both fundamental and applied physics. One field in which atomic interferometry is of particular interest is gravimetry, where instruments based upon the controlled manipulation of atomic states have superseded the performance of classical devices. In such devices, a standing wave derived from laser beams with well-defined phase difference are used to impart momentum to atoms undergoing free fall, generating spatial superpositions along the axis of gravity, before returning the atoms to an overlapped final state for recombination. This thesis presents the design and experimental progress towards a gravity gradiometer based upon the interference of rubidium-87 atoms, cooled and launched in a fountain configuration. The fountain is leveraged from a decommissioned frequency standard, which has been re-purposed and redesigned for use as a combined absolute gravimeter and gravity gradiometer package. It is capable of loading 100 billion atoms in 100 ms and then cooling and launching these atoms in a moving molasses configuration, with a final temperature of 5 μK. Furthermore, the process can be quickly repeated, with a second cloud subsequently launched, reaching its apogee at the same time as the first cloud, allowing for the possibility of simultaneous measurement at different heights and, in the future, the inference of the gravity gradient. Control of the fountain is provided by a stable and miniaturised optical setup, allowing for use with a future transportable or field-based device. A Raman beam system to perform the interferometry sequence has been constructed and characterised, likewise designed in a minaturised and stable manner. The Raman beams simultaneously generated Ramsey interference fringes on two independent clouds of atoms -- one launched to a height of 0.7 m and the other to 1 m. Such fringes were clearly observable after 200 ms of evolution time. Mach-Zehnder interference fringes were also demonstrated for dropped and launched atoms, providing the capability for gravimetric measurements to be made once the system has been fully characterised. The principle causes of noise in the Mach-Zehnder cases were identified as arriving from a lack of atoms and the phase noise of the Raman beams. To overcome these challenges, a new Raman beam system has been preliminary designed and tested and a new iteration of the fountain, moving towards quantum degeneracy, has been planned.

•Jan 1, 2019•2 citations

Sensitive gravity-gradiometry with atom interferometry: progress towards an improved determination of the gravitational constant

Fiodor Sorrentino, Yu-Hung Lien, G. Rosi +3 more

We here present a high sensitivity gravity-gradiometer based on atom interferometry. In our apparatus, two clouds of laser-cooled rubidium atoms are launched in fountain configuration and interrogated by a Raman interferometry sequence to probe the gradient of gravity field. We recently implemented a high-flux atomic source and a newly designed Raman lasers system in the instrument set-up. We discuss the applications towards a precise determination of the Newtonian gravitational constant G. The long-term stability of the instrument and the signal-to-noise ratio demonstrated here open interesting perspectives for pushing the measurement precision below the 100 ppm level.

arXiv:1002.3549•New Journal of Physics•Sep 24, 2010•51 citations

Simultaneous differential measurement of a magnetic-field gradient by atom interferometry using double fountains

Zhong-Kun Hu, Xiao‐Chun Duan, Min-Kang Zhou +4 more

Precisely measuring the magnetic-field gradient within a vacuum chamber is important for many precision experiments and can be realized by atom interferometry using magnetically sensitive sublevels at different times to make a differential measurement, which had been demonstrated in our previous work. In this paper, we demonstrate a differential method to measure the magnetic-field gradient by means of two simultaneously operated atom interferometers using double atomic fountains. By virtue of this simultaneous differential measurement to reject common-mode noise, the resolution can be improved by one order of magnitude for about a 1000-s integration time.

Physical Review A•Jul 27, 2011•34 citations

Progress towards a space-borne quantum gravity gradiometer

Nan Yu, James M. Kohel, Jaime Ramirez-Serrano +3 more

Quantum interferometer gravity gradiometer for 3D mapping is a project for developing the technology of atom interferometer-based gravity sensor in space. The atom interferometer utilizes atomic particles as free fall test masses to measure inertial forces with unprecedented sensitivity and precision. It also allows measurements of the gravity gradient tensor components for 3D mapping of subsurface mass distribution. The overall approach is based on recent advances of laser cooling and manipulation of atoms in atomic and optical physics. Atom interferometers have been demonstrated in research laboratories for gravity and gravity gradient measurements. In this approach, atoms are first laser cooled to micro-kelvin temperatures. Then they are allowed to freefall in vacuum as true drag-free test masses. During the free fall, a sequence of laser pulses is used to split and recombine the atom waves to realize the interferometric measurements. We have demonstrated atom interferometer operation in the Phase I period, and we are implementing the second generation for a complete gradiometer demonstration unit in the laboratory. Along with this development, we are developing technologies at component levels that will be more suited for realization of a space instrument. We will present an update of these developments and discuss the future directions of the quantum gravity gradiometer project.

•Jun 22, 2004•6 citations
Atom interferometer gravity gradient measurement instrument has a very high measuring resolution when atomic interference of gravity gradient experiments, the first to obtain two atoms using a magneto-optical trap, after throwing or whereabouts and realization of double groups of interference in operation, during the process of the experiment on two-atom fountain behind the speed of synchronization is the prerequisite of implementation measure, In this paper, an experimental method for adjusting the up-throw velocity of a two-atom fountain is introduced. The uniformity of up-throw velocity of a two-atom fountain is achieved by utilizing an optical beam expanding tube of a cooling laser and a geomagnetic compensation coil, which can enhance the detection noise of the atomic interference gravity gradiometer.
A transportable atom interferometer-based gravity gradiometer has been developed at JPL to carry out measurements of Earth's gravity field at ever finer spatial resolutions, and to facilitate high-resolution monitoring of temporal variations in the gravity field from ground- and flight-based platforms. Existing satellite-based gravity missions such as CHAMP and GRACE measure the gravity field via precise monitoring of the motion of the satellites; i.e. the satellites themselves function as test masses. JPL's quantum gravity gradiometer employs a quantum phase measurement technique, similar to that employed in atomic clocks, made possible by recent advances in laser cooling and manipulation of atoms. This measurement technique is based on atomwave interferometry, and individual laser-cooled atoms are used as drag-free test masses. The quantum gravity gradiometer employs two identical atom interferometers as precision accelerometers to measure the difference in gravitational acceleration between two points (Figure 1). By using the same lasers for the manipulation of atoms in both interferometers, the accelerometers have a common reference frame and non-inertial accelerations are effectively rejected as common mode noise in the differential measurement of the gravity gradient. As a result, the dual atom interferometer-based gravity gradiometer allows gravity measurements on a moving platform, while achieving the same long-term stability of the best atomic clocks. In the laboratory-based prototype (Figure 2), the cesium atoms used in each atom interferometer are initially collected and cooled in two separate magneto-optic traps (MOTs). Each MOT, consisting of three orthogonal pairs of counter-propagating laser beams centered on a quadrupole magnetic field, collects up to 10(exp 9) atoms. These atoms are then launched vertically as in an atom fountain by switching off the magnetic field and introducing a slight frequency shift between pairs of lasers to create a moving rest frame for the trapped atoms. While still in this moving-frame molasses, the laser frequencies are further detuned from the atomic resonance (while maintaining this relative frequency shift) to cool the atom cloud's temperature to 2 K or below, corresponding to an rms velocity of less than 2 cm/s. After launch, the cold atoms undergo further state and velocity selection to prepare for atom interferometry. The atom interferometers are then realized using laser-induced stimulated Raman transitions to perform the necessary manipulations of each atom, and the resulting interferometer phase is measured using laser-induced fluorescence for state-normalized detection. More than 20 laser beams with independent controls of frequency, phase, and intensity are required for this measurement sequence. This instrument can facilitate the study of Earth's gravitational field from surface and air vehicles, as well as from space by allowing gravity mapping from a low-cost, single spacecraft mission. In addition, the operation of atom interferometer-based instruments in space offers greater sensitivity than is possible in terrestrial instruments due to the much longer interrogation times available in the microgravity environment. A space-based quantum gravity gradiometer has the potential to achieve sensitivities similar to the GRACE mission at long spatial wavelengths, and will also have resolution similar to GOCE for measurement at shorter length scales.
Atomic interferometry is a highly precise metrological technique of interest to both fundamental and applied physics. One field in which atomic interferometry is of particular interest is gravimetry, where instruments based upon the controlled manipulation of atomic states have superseded the performance of classical devices. In such devices, a standing wave derived from laser beams with well-defined phase difference are used to impart momentum to atoms undergoing free fall, generating spatial superpositions along the axis of gravity, before returning the atoms to an overlapped final state for recombination. This thesis presents the design and experimental progress towards a gravity gradiometer based upon the interference of rubidium-87 atoms, cooled and launched in a fountain configuration. The fountain is leveraged from a decommissioned frequency standard, which has been re-purposed and redesigned for use as a combined absolute gravimeter and gravity gradiometer package. It is capable of loading 100 billion atoms in 100 ms and then cooling and launching these atoms in a moving molasses configuration, with a final temperature of 5 μK. Furthermore, the process can be quickly repeated, with a second cloud subsequently launched, reaching its apogee at the same time as the first cloud, allowing for the possibility of simultaneous measurement at different heights and, in the future, the inference of the gravity gradient. Control of the fountain is provided by a stable and miniaturised optical setup, allowing for use with a future transportable or field-based device. A Raman beam system to perform the interferometry sequence has been constructed and characterised, likewise designed in a minaturised and stable manner. The Raman beams simultaneously generated Ramsey interference fringes on two independent clouds of atoms -- one launched to a height of 0.7 m and the other to 1 m. Such fringes were clearly observable after 200 ms of evolution time. Mach-Zehnder interference fringes were also demonstrated for dropped and launched atoms, providing the capability for gravimetric measurements to be made once the system has been fully characterised. The principle causes of noise in the Mach-Zehnder cases were identified as arriving from a lack of atoms and the phase noise of the Raman beams. To overcome these challenges, a new Raman beam system has been preliminary designed and tested and a new iteration of the fountain, moving towards quantum degeneracy, has been planned.
We here present a high sensitivity gravity-gradiometer based on atom interferometry. In our apparatus, two clouds of laser-cooled rubidium atoms are launched in fountain configuration and interrogated by a Raman interferometry sequence to probe the gradient of gravity field. We recently implemented a high-flux atomic source and a newly designed Raman lasers system in the instrument set-up. We discuss the applications towards a precise determination of the Newtonian gravitational constant G. The long-term stability of the instrument and the signal-to-noise ratio demonstrated here open interesting perspectives for pushing the measurement precision below the 100 ppm level.
Precisely measuring the magnetic-field gradient within a vacuum chamber is important for many precision experiments and can be realized by atom interferometry using magnetically sensitive sublevels at different times to make a differential measurement, which had been demonstrated in our previous work. In this paper, we demonstrate a differential method to measure the magnetic-field gradient by means of two simultaneously operated atom interferometers using double atomic fountains. By virtue of this simultaneous differential measurement to reject common-mode noise, the resolution can be improved by one order of magnitude for about a 1000-s integration time.
Quantum interferometer gravity gradiometer for 3D mapping is a project for developing the technology of atom interferometer-based gravity sensor in space. The atom interferometer utilizes atomic particles as free fall test masses to measure inertial forces with unprecedented sensitivity and precision. It also allows measurements of the gravity gradient tensor components for 3D mapping of subsurface mass distribution. The overall approach is based on recent advances of laser cooling and manipulation of atoms in atomic and optical physics. Atom interferometers have been demonstrated in research laboratories for gravity and gravity gradient measurements. In this approach, atoms are first laser cooled to micro-kelvin temperatures. Then they are allowed to freefall in vacuum as true drag-free test masses. During the free fall, a sequence of laser pulses is used to split and recombine the atom waves to realize the interferometric measurements. We have demonstrated atom interferometer operation in the Phase I period, and we are implementing the second generation for a complete gradiometer demonstration unit in the laboratory. Along with this development, we are developing technologies at component levels that will be more suited for realization of a space instrument. We will present an update of these developments and discuss the future directions of the quantum gravity gradiometer project.