Atom interferometry in an optical cavity

Abstract

We propose and demonstrate a new scheme for atom interferometry, using light pulses inside an optical cavity as matter wave beamsplitters. The cavity provides power enhancement, spatial filtering, and a precise beam geometry, enabling new techniques such as low power beamsplitters ($<100\hat{\mathrm{I}}¼\mathrm{W}$), large momentum transfer beamsplitters with modest power, or new self-aligned interferometer geometries utilizing the transverse modes of the optical cavity. As a first demonstration, we obtain Ramsey-Raman fringes with $>75\%$ contrast and measure the acceleration due to gravity, $g$, to $60\hat{\mathrm{I}}¼g/\sqrt{\mathrm{Hz}}$ resolution in a Mach-Zehnder geometry. We use $>10^7$ cesium atoms in the compact mode volume ($600\hat{\mathrm{I}}¼\mathrm{m}$ $1/e^2$ waist) of the cavity and show trapping of atoms in higher transverse modes. This work paves the way toward compact, high sensitivity, multi-axis interferometry.

5 pages, 6 figures