A quantum trampoline for ultra-cold atoms

Abstract

We have observed the interferometric suspension of a free-falling Bose-Einstein condensate periodically submitted to multiple-order diffraction by a vertical 1D standing wave. The various diffracted matter waves recombine coherently, resulting in high contrast interference in the number of atoms detected at constant height. For long suspension times, multiple-wave interference is revealed through a sharpening of the fringes. We use this scheme to measure the acceleration of gravity.

Cited by in corpus (8)

• Local gravity measurement with the combination of atom interferometry and Bloch oscillations
• Compact atomic gravimeter based on a pulsed and accelerated optical lattice
• Atom Interferometer Gyroscope with Spin-Dependent Phase Shifts Induced by Light near a Tune-Out Wavelength
• Dynamical local and non-local Casimir atomic phases
• Controlled preparation of phases in two-dimensional time crystals
• Non-additive dynamical Casimir atomic phases
• Classical phase-space approach for coherent matter waves
• Competition effects of multiple quantum paths in an atom interferometer