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arXiv · 1610.03832

Phase shift in atom interferometry due to spacetime curvature

Peter Asenbaum·Chris Overstreet·Tim Kovachy·Daniel D. Brown·Jason M. Hogan·Mark A. Kasevich
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Abstract

We present a single-source dual atom interferometer and utilize it as a gradiometer for precise gravitational measurements. The macroscopic separation between interfering atomic wave packets (as large as 16 cm) reveals the interplay of recoil effects and gravitational curvature from a nearby Pb source mass. The gradiometer baseline is set by the laser wavelength and pulse timings, which can be measured to high precision. Using a long drift time and large momentum transfer atom optics, the gradiometer reaches a resolution of $3 \times 10^{-9}$ s$^{-2}$ per shot and measures a 1 rad phase shift induced by the source mass.

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Peter Asenbaum, Chris Overstreet, Tim Kovachy, Daniel D. Brown, Jason M. Hogan, Mark A. Kasevich. 2016-10-12. Phase shift in atom interferometry due to spacetime curvature. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.118.183602

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