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arXiv · 0902.0109

Suspension of atoms and gravimetry using a pulsed standing wave

K. J. Hughes·J. H. T. Burke·C. A. Sackett
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Abstract

Atoms from an otherwise unconfined 87Rb condensate are shown to be suspended against gravity using repeated reflections from a pulsed optical standing wave. Reflection efficiency was optimized using a triple-pulse sequence that, theoretically, provides accuracies better than 99.9%. Experimentally, up to 100 reflections are observed, leading to dynamical suspension for over 100 ms. The velocity sensitivity of the reflections can be used to determine the local gravitational acceleration. Further, a gravitationally sensitive atom interferometer was implemented using the suspended atoms, with packet coherence maintained for a similar time. These techniques could be useful for the precise measurement of gravity when it is impractical to allow atoms to fall freely over a large distance.

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K. J. Hughes, J. H. T. Burke, C. A. Sackett. 2009-02-02. Suspension of atoms and gravimetry using a pulsed standing wave. https://arxiv.org/abs/0902.0109

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