Abstract

We propose and demonstrate a new scheme for atom interferometry, using light pulses inside an optical cavity as matter wave beam splitters. The cavity provides power enhancement, spatial filtering, and a precise beam geometry, enabling new techniques such as low power beam splitters (), large momentum transfer beam splitters 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 contrast and measure the acceleration due to gravity, , to resolution in a Mach-Zehnder geometry. We use cesium atoms in the compact mode volume ( waist) of the cavity and show trapping of atoms in higher transverse modes. This work paves the way toward compact, high sensitivity, multiaxis interferometry.

Date

2015

Authors

Paul Hamilton, Matt Jaffe, Justin M Brown, Lothar Maisenbacher, Brian Estey, Holger Müller

Journal

Physical review letters

Volume

114

Issue

10

Pages

100405

Publisher

American Physical Society