Atom Interferometric Imaging of Differential Potentials Using an Atom Laser

Abstract

Interferometry is a prime technique for modern precision measurements. Atoms, unlike light, have significant interactions with electric, magnetic, and gravitational fields, making their use in interferometric applications particularly versatile. Here, we demonstrate atom interferometry to image optical and magnetic potential landscapes over an area exceeding $240\mu m\times 600\mu m$. The differential potentials employed in our experiments generate phase imprints in an atom laser that are made visible through a Ramsey pulse sequence. We further demonstrate how advanced pulse sequences can enhance desired imaging features, e.g. to image steep potential gradients. A theoretical discussion is presented that provides a semiclassical analysis and matching numerics.

Updated to match published version. 13 pages, 9 figures

References in corpus (12)

• Atom Interferometers
• Precision Measurement of the Newtonian Gravitational Constant Using Cold Atoms
• Quench-induced supercurrents in an annular Bose gas
• Interferometric measurement of the current-phase relationship of a superfluid weak link
• Imprinting persistent currents in tunable fermionic rings
• Measurement of the ac Stark shift with a guided matter-wave interferometer
• Quantum theory of an atom laser originating from a Bose-Einstein condensate or a Fermi gas in the presence of gravity
• Catastrophes in non-equilibrium many-particle wave functions: universality and critical scaling
• Ramsey imaging of optical traps
• Wave-packet analysis of interference patterns in output coupled atoms
• Coherence time of a cold-atom laser below threshold
• WKB propagators in position and momentum space for a linear potential with a "ceiling" boundary