1,401 research outputs found
Differential phase extraction in an atom gradiometer
We present here a method for the extraction of the differential phase of an
atom gradiometer that exploits the correlation of the vibration signal measured
by an auxiliary classical sensor, such as a seismometer or an accelerometer. We
show that sensitivities close to the quantum projection noise limit can be
reached, even when the vibration noise induces phase fluctuations larger than
2. This method doesn't require the correlation between the atomic and
classical signals to be perfect and allows for an exact determination of the
differential phase, with no bias. It can also be applied to other
configurations of differential interferometers, such as for instance
gyrometers, conjugate interferometers for the measurement of the fine structure
constant, or differential accelerometers for tests of the equivalence principle
or detection of gravitational waves
Enhancing the area of a Raman atom interferometer using a versatile double-diffraction technique
IIn this paper we demonstrate a new scheme for Raman transitions which
realize a symmetric momentum-space splitting of , deflecting the
atomic wave-packets into the same internal state. Combining the advantages of
Raman and Bragg diffraction, we achieve a three pulse state labelled
interferometer, intrinsically insensitive to the main systematics and
applicable to all kind of atomic sources. This splitting scheme can be extended
to momentum transfer by a multipulse sequence and is implemented
on a interferometer. We demonstrate the area enhancement by
measuring inertial forces
A simple laser system for atom interferometry
We present here a simple laser system for a laser cooled atom interferometer,
where all functions (laser cooling, interferometry and detection) are realized
using only two extended cavity laser diodes, amplified by a common tapered
amplifier. One laser is locked by frequency modulation transfer spectroscopy,
the other being phase locked with an offset frequency determined by an
Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) controlled Direct Digital Synthesizer
(DDS), which allows for efficient and versatile tuning of the laser frequency.
Raman lasers are obtained with a double pass acousto-optic modulator. We
demonstrate a gravimeter using this laser system, with performances close to
the state of the art
Coherent population trapping in a Raman atom interferometer
We investigate the effect of coherent population trapping (CPT) in an atom
inter-ferometer gravimeter based on the use of stimulated Raman transitions. We
find that CPT leads to significant phase shifts, of order of a few mrad, which
may compromise the accuracy of inertial measurements. We show that this effect
is rejected by the k-reversal technique, which consists in averaging inertial
measurements performed with two opposite orientations of the Raman wavevector
k, provided that internal states at the input of the interferometer are kept
identical for both configurations
Active Control of Laser Wavefronts in Atom Interferometers
Wavefront aberrations are identified as a major limitation in quantum
sensors. They are today the main contribution in the uncertainty budget of best
cold atom interferometers based on two-photon laser beam splitters, and
constitute an important limit for their long-term stability, impeding these
instruments from reaching their full potential. Moreover, they will also remain
a major obstacle in future experiments based on large momentum beam splitters.
In this article, we tackle this issue by using a deformable mirror to control
actively the laser wavefronts in atom interferometry. In particular, we
demonstrate in an experimental proof of principle the efficient correction of
wavefront aberrations in an atomic gravimeter
Raman laser spectroscopy of Wannier Stark states
Raman lasers are used as a spectroscopic probe of the state of atoms confined
in a shallow 1D vertical lattice. For long enough laser pulses, resolved
transitions in the bottom band of the lattice between Wannier Stark states
corresponding to neighboring wells are observed. Couplings between such states
are measured as a function of the lattice laser intensity and compared to
theoretical predictions, from which the lattice depth can be extracted. Limits
to the linewidth of these transitions are investigated. Transitions to higher
bands can also be induced, as well as between transverse states for tilted
Raman beams. All these features allow for a precise characterization of the
trapping potential and for an efficient control of the atoms external degrees
of freedom
Stability comparison of two absolute gravimeters: optical versus atomic interferometers
We report the direct comparison between the stabilities of two mobile
absolute gravimeters of different technology: the LNE-SYRTE Cold Atom
Gravimeter and FG5X\#216 of the Universit\'e du Luxembourg. These instruments
rely on two different principles of operation: atomic and optical
interferometry. The comparison took place in the Walferdange Underground
Laboratory for Geodynamics in Luxembourg, at the beginning of the last
International Comparison of Absolute Gravimeters, ICAG-2013. We analyse a 2h10
duration common measurement, and find that the CAG shows better immunity with
respect to changes in the level of vibration noise, as well as a slightly
better short term stability.Comment: 6 page
State labelling Wannier-Stark atomic interferometers
Using cold 87Rb atoms trapped in a 1D-optical lattice, atomic interferometers
involving coherent superpositions between different Wannier-Stark atomic states
are realized. Two di fferent kinds of trapped interferometer schemes are
presented: a Ramsey-type interferometer sensitive both to clock frequency and
external forces, and a symmetric accordion-type interferometer, sensitive to
external forces only. We evaluate the limits in terms of sensitivity and
accuracy of those schemes and discuss their application as force sensors. As a
first step, we apply these interferometers to the measurement of the Bloch
frequency and the demonstration of a compact gravimeter.Comment: 11 page
Effective velocity distribution in an atom gravimeter: effect of the convolution with the response of the detection
We present here a detailed study of the influence of the transverse motion of
the atoms in a free-fall gravimeter. By implementing Raman selection in the
horizontal directions at the beginning of the atoms free fall, we characterize
the effective velocity distribution, ie the velocity distribution of the
detected atom, as a function of the laser cooling and trapping parameters. In
particular, we show that the response of the detection induces a pronounced
asymetry of this effective velocity distribution that depends not only on the
imbalance between molasses beams but also on the initial position of the
displaced atomic sample. This convolution with the detection has a strong
influence on the averaging of the bias due to Coriolis acceleration. The
present study allows a fairly good understanding of results previously
published in {\it Louchet-Chauvet et al., NJP 13, 065025 (2011)}, where the
mean phase shift due to Coriolis acceleration was found to have a sign
different from expected
Double diffraction in an atomic gravimeter
We demonstrate the realization of a new scheme for cold atom gravimetry based
on the use of double diffraction beamsplitters recently demonstrated in
\cite{Leveque}, where the use of two retro-reflected Raman beams allows
symmetric diffraction in momenta. Though in principle
restricted to the case of zero Doppler shift, for which the two pairs of Raman
beams are simultaneously resonant, we demonstrate that such diffraction pulses
can remain efficient on atoms with non zero velocity, such as in a gravimeter,
when modulating the frequency of one of the two Raman laser sources. We use
such pulses to realize an interferometer insensitive to laser phase noise and
some of the dominant systematics. This reduces the technical requirements and
would allow the realization of a simple atomic gravimeter. We demonstrate a
sensitivity of per shot
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