58 research outputs found
Atom interferometric gravitational wave detection using heterodyne laser links
We propose a scheme based on a heterodyne laser link that allows for long
baseline gravitational wave detection using atom interferometry. While the
baseline length in previous atom-based proposals is constrained by the need for
a reference laser to remain collimated as it propagates between two satellites,
here we circumvent this requirement by employing a strong local oscillator
laser near each atom ensemble that is phase locked to the reference laser beam.
Longer baselines offer a number of potential advantages, including enhanced
sensitivity, simplified atom optics, and reduced atomic source flux
requirements.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figure
High-order inertial phase shifts for time-domain atom interferometers
High-order inertial phase shifts are calculated for time-domain atom
interferometers. We obtain closed-form analytic expressions for these shifts in
accelerometer, gyroscope, optical clock and photon recoil measurement
configurations. Our analysis includes Coriolis, centrifugal, gravitational, and
gravity gradient-induced forces. We identify new shifts which arise at levels
relevant to current and planned experiments.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures sign error corrected aknowledgement adde
A Femtosecond Nanometer Free Electron Source
We report a source of free electron pulses based on a field emission tip
irradiated by a low-power femtosecond laser. The electron pulses are shorter
than 70 fs and originate from a tip with an emission area diameter down to 2
nm. Depending on the operating regime we observe either photofield emission or
optical field emission with up to 200 electrons per pulse at a repetition rate
of 1 GHz. This pulsed electron emitter, triggered by a femtosecond oscillator,
could serve as an efficient source for time-resolved electron interferometry,
for time-resolved nanometric imaging and for synchrotrons
Light-pulse atom interferometry
The light-pulse atom interferometry method is reviewed. Applications of the
method to inertial navigation and tests of the Equivalence Principle are
discussed.Comment: 38 pages, 13 figures. To appear in the Proceedings of the
International Summer School of Physics "Enrico Fermi" on Atom Optics and
Space Physics (Varenna, July 2007
Efficient wide-field FLIM
Nanosecond temporal resolution enables new methods for wide-field imaging
like time-of-flight, gated detection, and fluorescence lifetime. The optical
efficiency of existing approaches, however, presents challenges for low-light
applications common to fluorescence microscopy and single-molecule imaging. We
demonstrate the use of Pockels cells for wide-field image gating with
nanosecond temporal resolution and high photon collection efficiency. Two
temporal frames are obtained by combining a Pockels cell with a pair of
polarizing beam-splitters. We show multi-label fluorescence lifetime imaging
microscopy (FLIM), single-molecule lifetime spectroscopy, and fast single-frame
FLIM at the camera frame rate with times higher throughput than
single photon counting. Finally, we demonstrate a space-to-time image
multiplexer using a re-imaging optical cavity with a tilted mirror to extend
the Pockels cell technique to multiple temporal frames. These methods enable
nanosecond imaging with standard optical systems and sensors, opening a new
temporal dimension for low-light microscopy.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figure
Atom-interferometric test of the equivalence principle at the level
Does gravity influence local measurements? We use a dual-species atom
interferometer with of free-fall time to measure the relative
acceleration between Rb and Rb wave packets in the Earth's
gravitational field. Systematic errors arising from kinematic differences
between the isotopes are suppressed by calibrating the angles and frequencies
of the interferometry beams. We find an E\"otv\"os parameter of ,
consistent with zero violation of the equivalence principle. With a resolution
of up to per shot, we demonstrate a sensitivity to
of .Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures, 1 Tabl
A Resonant Mode for Gravitational Wave Detectors based on Atom Interferometry
We describe an atom interferometric gravitational wave detector design that
can operate in a resonant mode for increased sensitivity. By oscillating the
positions of the atomic wavepackets, this resonant detection mode allows for
coherently enhanced, narrow-band sensitivity at target frequencies. The
proposed detector is flexible and can be rapidly switched between broadband and
narrow-band detection modes. For instance, a binary discovered in broadband
mode can subsequently be studied further as the inspiral evolves by using a
tailored narrow-band detector response. In addition to functioning like a
lock-in amplifier for astrophysical events, the enhanced sensitivity of the
resonant approach also opens up the possibility of searching for important
cosmological signals, including the stochastic gravitational wave background
produced by inflation. We give an example of detector parameters which would
allow detection of inflationary gravitational waves down to for a two satellite space-based detector.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figure
Testing Atom and Neutron Neutrality with Atom Interferometry
We propose an atom-interferometry experiment based on the scalar
Aharonov-Bohm effect which detects an atom charge at the 10^{-28}e level, and
improves the current laboratory limits by 8 orders of magnitude. This setup
independently probes neutron charges down to 10^{-28}e, 7 orders of magnitude
below current bounds.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, to be submitted for publication in PR
A Many-Atom Cavity QED System with Homogeneous Atom-Cavity Coupling
We demonstrate a many-atom-cavity system with a high-finesse dual-wavelength
standing wave cavity in which all participating rubidium atoms are nearly
identically coupled to a 780-nm cavity mode. This homogeneous coupling is
enforced by a one-dimensional optical lattice formed by the field of a 1560-nm
cavity mode.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Physically significant phase shifts in matter-wave interferometry
Many different formalisms exist for computing the phase of a matter-wave
interferometer. However, it can be challenging to develop physical intuition
about what a particular interferometer is actually measuring or about whether a
given classical measurement provides equivalent information. Here we
investigate the physical content of the interferometer phase through a series
of thought experiments. In low-order potentials, a matter-wave interferometer
with a single internal state provides the same information as a sum of position
measurements of a classical test object. In high-order potentials, the
interferometer phase becomes decoupled from the motion of the interferometer
arms, and the phase contains information that cannot be obtained by any set of
position measurements on the interferometer trajectory. This phase shift in a
high-order potential fundamentally distinguishes matter-wave interferometers
from classical measuring devices.Comment: Submitted to American Journal of Physics (August 2020
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