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arXiv · 0806.0956

A compact dual atom interferometer gyroscope based on laser-cooled rubidium

T. Müller·M. Gilowski·M. Zaiser·T. Wendrich·W. Ertmer·E. M. Rasel
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Abstract

We present a compact and transportable inertial sensor for precision sensing of rotations and accelerations. The sensor consists of a dual Mach-Zehnder-type atom interferometer operated with laser-cooled $^{87}$Rb. Raman processes are employed to coherently manipulate the matter waves. We describe and characterize the experimental apparatus. A method for passing from a compact geometry to an extended interferometer with three independent atom-light interaction zones is proposed and investigated. The extended geometry will enhance the sensitivity by more than two orders of magnitude which is necessary to achieve sensitivities better than $10^{-8} $rad/s/$\sqrt{\rm Hz}$.

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T. Müller, M. Gilowski, M. Zaiser, T. Wendrich, W. Ertmer, E. M. Rasel. 2008-06-05. A compact dual atom interferometer gyroscope based on laser-cooled rubidium. https://doi.org/10.1140/epjd%2Fe2009-00139-0

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