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

Journal of Contemporary Physics (Armenian Academy of Sciences)

Absorptive Atom Interferometer

A. Zh. Muradyan

Published Dec 1, 2023• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Abstract A new type of atomic interferometer in which the registration is carried out by absorption spectroscopy of probing radiation is theoretically presented. To split the input atomic beam, the interaction with counterpropagating resonant waves is used. In addition, the atom also acquires equal populations at internal energy levels. The interaction with the subsequent traveling wave results in the interference between neighboring momentum states of the atom, and the distribution periodically varies with a strong asymmetry relative to the input momentum value. At the measurement stage, the result of the interference of matter waves is reproduced by the spectral distribution of the probing electromagnetic wave.

DOI
10.1134/s1068337223040138

Related papers

Deflection of Atoms by Circularly Polarized Light Beams in Triple Laue Configuration

Monika A. M. Marte, J. I. Cirac, P. Zoller

A new type of atomic interferometer is discussed, in which atoms with two ground-state Zeeman sub-levels m = ± 1, and an excited state with m = 0, pass through three laser interaction zones—each comprising two counter-propagating waves of opposite circular polarization with a large detuning from resonance. By means of Raman-type transitions between the two ground-state levels, which convey a recoil of two photon momenta, the atomic wave function is split up into two coherent spatially separated branches, and subsequently recombined. In this system, conservation of energy and momentum leads to a strong correlation between the external centre of mass motion and internal magnetic degrees of freedom. As a consequence, the paths within the interferometer are tagged by the internal quantum number m. As an example, we calculate the position and momentum distribution function of a helium atom on its way through the interferometer.

Journal of Modern Optics•Nov 1, 1991•8 citations

Numerical simulation of a multilevel atom interferometer

B. Barrett, Itay Yavin, Scott Beattie +1 more

We present a comprehensive numerical simulation of an echo-type atom interferometer. The simulation confirms an interesting theoretical description of this interferometer that includes effects due to spontaneous emission and magnetic sublevels. Both the simulation and the theoretical model agree with the results of experiments. These developments provide an improved understanding of several observable effects. The evolution of state populations due to stimulated emission and absorption during the standing-wave interaction imparts a time-dependent phase on each atomic momentum state. This manifests itself as an asymmetry in the signal shape that depends on the strength of the interaction as well as spontaneous emission due to a nonzero population in the excited states. The degree of asymmetry is a measure of a nonzero relative phase between interfering momentum states.

arXiv:1008.4426•Physical Review A•Aug 31, 2010•7 citations

Diffraction of atoms from a two-frequency standing wave

Peter J. Martin, J. L. Hall

We investigate the diffraction of a three-level atom from a "walking" light wave composed of counterpropagating traveling waves of different frequencies. The coupling of the two nondegenerate internal ground states by means of an off-resonant Raman transition resonantly couples the initial external momentum state to only one other momentum state. This happens even in the Raman-Nath regime, where the interaction time is short enough that momentum transfer is not constrained by phase-matching conditions. The final momentum state depends on the initial internal state of the atom and the relative directions of the two traveling waves. By using multiple diffraction regions, this process can be used to coherently split a beam of atoms into two beams that are widely separated in momentum space. This type of beam splitter would be useful in the building an atom interferometer.

Annual Meeting Optical Society of America•Jan 1, 1990•0 citations

Coherence in the presence of absorption and heating in a molecule interferometer

Joseph P. Cotter, Sandra Eibenberger, Lukas Mairhofer +6 more

Matter-wave interferometry can be used to probe the foundations of physics and to enable precise measurements of particle properties and fundamental constants. It relies on beam splitters that coherently divide the wave function. In atom interferometers, such elements are often realised using lasers by exploiting the dipole interaction or through photon absorption. It is intriguing to extend these ideas to complex molecules where the energy of an absorbed photon can rapidly be redistributed across many internal degrees of freedom. Here, we provide evidence that center-of-mass coherence can be maintained even when the internal energy and entropy of the interfering particle are substantially increased by absorption of photons from a standing light wave. Each photon correlates the molecular center-of-mass wave function with its internal temperature and splits it into a superposition with opposite momenta in addition to the beam-splitting action of the optical dipole potential.

Nature Communications•Jun 11, 2015•21 citations

Atom-Light Hybrid Interferometer

Bing Chen, Cheng Qiu, Shuying Chen +4 more

A new type of hybrid atom-light interferometer is demonstrated with atomic Raman amplification processes replacing the beam splitting elements in a traditional interferometer. This nonconventional interferometer involves correlated optical and atomic waves in the two arms. The correlation between atoms and light developed with the Raman process makes this interferometer different from conventional interferometers with linear beam splitters. It is observed that the high-contrast interference fringes are sensitive to the optical phase via a path change as well as the atomic phase via a magnetic field change. This new atom-light correlated hybrid interferometer is a sensitive probe of the atomic internal state and should find wide applications in precision measurement and quantum control with atoms and photons.

Physical Review Letters•Jul 24, 2015•112 citations

Matter-wave interference using two-level atoms and resonant optical fields

B. Dubetsky, P. R. Berman

A theory of matter-wave interference is developed in which resonant, standing-wave optical fields interact with an ensemble of two-level atoms. If effects related to the recoil the atoms undergo on absorbing or emitting radiation are neglected, the total atomic density is spatially uniform. However, when recoil effects are included, spatial modulation of the atomic density can occur for times that are greater than or comparable to the inverse recoil frequency. In this regime, the atoms exhibit matter-wave interference that can be used as the basis of a matter-wave atom interferometer. Two specific atom-field geometries are considered, involving either one or two field-interaction zones. For each geometry, the recoil-induced spatial modulation of the total atomic density is calculated. In contrast to the normal Talbot and Talbot-Lau effects, the spatially modulated density is nota periodic function of time, owing to spontaneous emission; however, after a sufficiently long time, the contribution from spontaneous processes no longer plays a role and the periodicity is restored. With a suitable choice of observation time and field strengths, the spatially modulated atomic density serves as an indirect probe of the distribution of spontaneously emitted radiation.

arXiv:physics/9810028•Physical Review A•Mar 1, 1999•8 citations
Abstract A new type of atomic interferometer in which the registration is carried out by absorption spectroscopy of probing radiation is theoretically presented. To split the input atomic beam, the interaction with counterpropagating resonant waves is used. In addition, the atom also acquires equal populations at internal energy levels. The interaction with the subsequent traveling wave results in the interference between neighboring momentum states of the atom, and the distribution periodically varies with a strong asymmetry relative to the input momentum value. At the measurement stage, the result of the interference of matter waves is reproduced by the spectral distribution of the probing electromagnetic wave.
A new type of atomic interferometer is discussed, in which atoms with two ground-state Zeeman sub-levels m = ± 1, and an excited state with m = 0, pass through three laser interaction zones—each comprising two counter-propagating waves of opposite circular polarization with a large detuning from resonance. By means of Raman-type transitions between the two ground-state levels, which convey a recoil of two photon momenta, the atomic wave function is split up into two coherent spatially separated branches, and subsequently recombined. In this system, conservation of energy and momentum leads to a strong correlation between the external centre of mass motion and internal magnetic degrees of freedom. As a consequence, the paths within the interferometer are tagged by the internal quantum number m. As an example, we calculate the position and momentum distribution function of a helium atom on its way through the interferometer.
We present a comprehensive numerical simulation of an echo-type atom interferometer. The simulation confirms an interesting theoretical description of this interferometer that includes effects due to spontaneous emission and magnetic sublevels. Both the simulation and the theoretical model agree with the results of experiments. These developments provide an improved understanding of several observable effects. The evolution of state populations due to stimulated emission and absorption during the standing-wave interaction imparts a time-dependent phase on each atomic momentum state. This manifests itself as an asymmetry in the signal shape that depends on the strength of the interaction as well as spontaneous emission due to a nonzero population in the excited states. The degree of asymmetry is a measure of a nonzero relative phase between interfering momentum states.
We investigate the diffraction of a three-level atom from a "walking" light wave composed of counterpropagating traveling waves of different frequencies. The coupling of the two nondegenerate internal ground states by means of an off-resonant Raman transition resonantly couples the initial external momentum state to only one other momentum state. This happens even in the Raman-Nath regime, where the interaction time is short enough that momentum transfer is not constrained by phase-matching conditions. The final momentum state depends on the initial internal state of the atom and the relative directions of the two traveling waves. By using multiple diffraction regions, this process can be used to coherently split a beam of atoms into two beams that are widely separated in momentum space. This type of beam splitter would be useful in the building an atom interferometer.
Matter-wave interferometry can be used to probe the foundations of physics and to enable precise measurements of particle properties and fundamental constants. It relies on beam splitters that coherently divide the wave function. In atom interferometers, such elements are often realised using lasers by exploiting the dipole interaction or through photon absorption. It is intriguing to extend these ideas to complex molecules where the energy of an absorbed photon can rapidly be redistributed across many internal degrees of freedom. Here, we provide evidence that center-of-mass coherence can be maintained even when the internal energy and entropy of the interfering particle are substantially increased by absorption of photons from a standing light wave. Each photon correlates the molecular center-of-mass wave function with its internal temperature and splits it into a superposition with opposite momenta in addition to the beam-splitting action of the optical dipole potential.
A new type of hybrid atom-light interferometer is demonstrated with atomic Raman amplification processes replacing the beam splitting elements in a traditional interferometer. This nonconventional interferometer involves correlated optical and atomic waves in the two arms. The correlation between atoms and light developed with the Raman process makes this interferometer different from conventional interferometers with linear beam splitters. It is observed that the high-contrast interference fringes are sensitive to the optical phase via a path change as well as the atomic phase via a magnetic field change. This new atom-light correlated hybrid interferometer is a sensitive probe of the atomic internal state and should find wide applications in precision measurement and quantum control with atoms and photons.
A theory of matter-wave interference is developed in which resonant, standing-wave optical fields interact with an ensemble of two-level atoms. If effects related to the recoil the atoms undergo on absorbing or emitting radiation are neglected, the total atomic density is spatially uniform. However, when recoil effects are included, spatial modulation of the atomic density can occur for times that are greater than or comparable to the inverse recoil frequency. In this regime, the atoms exhibit matter-wave interference that can be used as the basis of a matter-wave atom interferometer. Two specific atom-field geometries are considered, involving either one or two field-interaction zones. For each geometry, the recoil-induced spatial modulation of the total atomic density is calculated. In contrast to the normal Talbot and Talbot-Lau effects, the spatially modulated density is nota periodic function of time, owing to spontaneous emission; however, after a sufficiently long time, the contribution from spontaneous processes no longer plays a role and the periodicity is restored. With a suitable choice of observation time and field strengths, the spatially modulated atomic density serves as an indirect probe of the distribution of spontaneously emitted radiation.