A precision analysis and determination of the technical requirements of an atom interferometer for gravity measurement

Abstract

The influence of the wave-front curvature of Raman pulses on the measurement precision of gravitational acceleration in atom interferometry is analysed by the method of a transmission matrix. It is shown that the measurement precision of gravitational acceleration is largely dependent on the spot size of the Raman pulse, the temporal interval between Raman pulses and the optical path difference of the two counter-propagating Raman pulses. Moreover, the influence of Doppler frequency shift on the precision is discussed. In order to get a certain measurement precision, the requirement for the accuracy of frequency scanning of the Raman pulse to compensate for the Doppler frequency shift is obtained.

Keywords

atom interferometry / measurement precision / gravitational acceleration / wave-front curvature / Doppler shift

References

[1] M. R. Andrews, C. G. Townsend, H.-J. Miesner, D. S. Durfee, D. M. Kurn, and W. Ketterle, Nature, 1997, 275(5300): 637

[2] B. P. Anderson and M. A. Kasevich, Science, 1998, 282(5394): 1686

[3] F. S. Cataliotti, S. Burger, C. Fort, P. Maddaloni, F. Minardi, A. Trombettoni, A. Smerzi, and M. Inguscio, Science, 2001, 293(5531): 843

[4] W. M. Liu, W. B. Fan, W. M. Zheng, J. Q. Liang, and S. T. Chui, Phys. Rev. Lett., 2002, 88: 170408-1

[5] A. C. Ji, Q. Sun, X. C. Xie, and W. M. Liu, Phys. Rev. Lett., 2009, 102: 023602-1

[6] K.W. Madison, F. Chevy, W. Wohlleben, and J. Dalibard, Phys. Rev. Lett., 2000, 84(5): 806

[7] K.W., MadisonF. Chevy, V. Bretin, and J. Dalibard, Phys. Rev. Lett., 2001, 86(20): 4443

[8] J. R. Abo-Shaeer, C. Raman, J. M. Vogels, and W. Ketterle, Science, 2001, 292(5516): 476

[9] A. C. Ji, W. M. Liu, J. L. Song, and F. Zhou, Phys. Rev. Lett., 2008, 101: 010402-1

[10] M. Kasevich and S. Chu, Appl. Phys. B, 1992, 54(5): 321

[11] S. D. Weiss, C. B. Young, and S. Chu, Appl. Phys. B, 1994, 59(3): 217

[12] A. Peters, K. Y. Chung, and S. Chu, Metrologia, 2001, 38(1): 25

[13] J. M. McGuirk, G. T. Foster, J. B. Fixler, M. J. Snadden, and M. A. Kasevich, Phys. Rev. A, 2002, 65(3): 033608

[14] N. Yu, J. M. Kohel, J. R. Kellogg, and L. Maleki, Appl. Phys. B, 2006, 84(4): 647

[15] Fuli Li, Advanced Laser Physics, Beijing: Higher Education Press, 2006

[16] M. Kasevich and S. Chu, Phys. Rev. Lett., 1991, 67(2): 181

[17] Yiqiu Wang, Laser Cooling and Trapping Atoms, Beijing: Peking University Press, 2007: 394

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

Higher Education Press and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg