12 research outputs found
Entwicklung einer hocheffektiven Magnetfeldabschirmung für die Forschungsraketenmission MAIUS-1
The goal of the MAIUS-1 sounding rocket mission is the realization of the first Bose-Einstein-Condensate and following atom interferometry measurements in space. The hardware of this experiment is specifically designed to match the requirements of a sounding rocket mission. Since the different techniques to create a Bose-Einstein-Condensate like magneto-optical traps and the following atom interferometry methods are very sensitive to external magnetic fields, a effective magnetic shielding is necessary. In this work the design and also the magnetic properties and flight-readiness test procedures are described in great detail. The three-layer magnetic shielding provides a high shielding effectiveness factor of S 1000 for an undisturbed operation of the experiment. With this magnetic shielding it was possible to create the first Bose-Einstein-Condensate in space during the flight of the MAIUS-1 sounding rocket
Atom Interferometry in Space: Thermal Management and Magnetic Shielding
Atom interferometry is an exciting tool to probe fundamental physics. It is
considered especially apt to test the universality of free fall by using two
different sorts of atoms. The increasing sensitivity required for this kind of
experiment sets severe requirements on its environments, instrument control,
and systematic effects. This can partially be mitigated by going to space as
was proposed, for example, in the Spacetime Explorer and Quantum Equivalence
Principle Space Test (STE-QUEST) mission. However, the requirements on the
instrument are still very challenging. For example, the specifications of the
STE-QUEST mission imply that the Feshbach coils of the atom interferometer are
allowed to change their radius only by about 260 nm or 2.6E-4% due to thermal
expansion although they consume an average power of 22 W. Also Earth's magnetic
field has to be suppressed by a factor of 10E5. We show in this article that
with the right design such thermal and magnetic requirements can indeed be met
and that these are not an impediment for the exciting physics possible with
atom interferometers in space.Comment: v2: minor changes to agree with published version; 8 pages, 6 figure
Space-borne Bose-Einstein condensation for precision interferometry
Space offers virtually unlimited free-fall in gravity. Bose-Einstein
condensation (BEC) enables ineffable low kinetic energies corresponding to
pico- or even femtokelvins. The combination of both features makes atom
interferometers with unprecedented sensitivity for inertial forces possible and
opens a new era for quantum gas experiments. On January 23, 2017, we created
Bose-Einstein condensates in space on the sounding rocket mission MAIUS-1 and
conducted 110 experiments central to matter-wave interferometry. In particular,
we have explored laser cooling and trapping in the presence of large
accelerations as experienced during launch, and have studied the evolution,
manipulation and interferometry employing Bragg scattering of BECs during the
six-minute space flight. In this letter, we focus on the phase transition and
the collective dynamics of BECs, whose impact is magnified by the extended
free-fall time. Our experiments demonstrate a high reproducibility of the
manipulation of BECs on the atom chip reflecting the exquisite control features
and the robustness of our experiment. These properties are crucial to novel
protocols for creating quantum matter with designed collective excitations at
the lowest kinetic energy scales close to femtokelvins.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure
Design of a dual species atom interferometer for space
Atom interferometers have a multitude of proposed applications in space
including precise measurements of the Earth's gravitational field, in
navigation & ranging, and in fundamental physics such as tests of the weak
equivalence principle (WEP) and gravitational wave detection. While atom
interferometers are realized routinely in ground-based laboratories, current
efforts aim at the development of a space compatible design optimized with
respect to dimensions, weight, power consumption, mechanical robustness and
radiation hardness. In this paper, we present a design of a high-sensitivity
differential dual species Rb/Rb atom interferometer for space,
including physics package, laser system, electronics and software. The physics
package comprises the atom source consisting of dispensers and a 2D
magneto-optical trap (MOT), the science chamber with a 3D-MOT, a magnetic trap
based on an atom chip and an optical dipole trap (ODT) used for Bose-Einstein
condensate (BEC) creation and interferometry, the detection unit, the vacuum
system for mbar ultra-high vacuum generation, and the
high-suppression factor magnetic shielding as well as the thermal control
system. The laser system is based on a hybrid approach using fiber-based
telecom components and high-power laser diode technology and includes all laser
sources for 2D-MOT, 3D-MOT, ODT, interferometry and detection. Manipulation and
switching of the laser beams is carried out on an optical bench using Zerodur
bonding technology. The instrument consists of 9 units with an overall mass of
221 kg, an average power consumption of 608 W (819 W peak), and a volume of 470
liters which would well fit on a satellite to be launched with a Soyuz rocket,
as system studies have shown.Comment: 30 pages, 23 figures, accepted for publication in Experimental
Astronom
STE-QUEST - Test of the Universality of Free Fall Using Cold Atom Interferometry
In this paper, we report about the results of the phase A mission study of the atom
interferometer instrument covering the description of the main payload elements, the
atomic source concept, and the systematic error sources
Development of a highly effective magnetic shielding for the sounding rocket mission MAIUS-1
The goal of the MAIUS-1 sounding rocket mission is the realization of the first Bose-Einstein-Condensate and following atom interferometry measurements in space. The hardware of this experiment is specifically designed to match the requirements of a sounding rocket mission. Since the different techniques to create a Bose-Einstein-Condensate like magneto-optical traps and the following atom interferometry methods are very sensitive to external magnetic fields, a effective magnetic shielding is necessary. In this work the design and also the magnetic properties and flight-readiness test procedures are described in great detail. The three-layer magnetic shielding provides a high shielding effectiveness factor of S 1000 for an undisturbed operation of the experiment. With this magnetic shielding it was possible to create the first Bose-Einstein-Condensate in space during the flight of the MAIUS-1 sounding rocket
A three-layer magnetic shielding for the MAIUS-1 mission on a sounding rocket
Bose-Einstein-Condensates (BECs) can be used as a very sensitive tool for experiments on fundamental
questions in physics like testing the equivalence principle using matter wave interferometry.
Since the sensitivity of these experiments in ground-based environments is limited by the
available free fall time, the QUANTUS project started to perform BEC interferometry experiments
in micro-gravity. After successful campaigns in the drop tower, the next step is a space-borne
experiment. The MAIUS-mission will be an atom-optical experiment that will show the feasibility of
experiments with ultra-cold quantum gases in microgravity in a sounding rocket. The experiment
will create a BEC of 105 87Rb-atoms in less than 5 s and will demonstrate application of basic
atom interferometer techniques over a flight time of 6 min. The hardware is specifically designed
to match the requirements of a sounding rocket mission. Special attention is thereby spent on
the appropriate magnetic shielding from varying magnetic fields during the rocket flight, since
the experiment procedures are very sensitive to external magnetic fields. A three-layer magnetic
shielding provides a high shielding effectiveness factor of at least 1000 for an undisturbed operation
of the experiment. The design of this magnetic shielding, the magnetic properties, simulations, and
tests of its suitability for a sounding rocket flight are presented in this articl
Space-borne Bose–Einstein condensation for precision interferometry
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
Space-borne Bose-Einstein condensation for precision interferometry
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 conditions