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Atom interferometry with trapped Fermi gases

G. Roati·E. de Mirandes·F. Ferlaino·H. Ott·G. Modugno·M. Inguscio
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Abstract

We realize an interferometer with an atomic Fermi gas trapped in an optical lattice under the influence of gravity. The single-particle interference between the eigenstates of the lattice results in macroscopic Bloch oscillations of the sample. The absence of interactions between fermions allows a time-resolved study of many periods of the oscillations, leading to a sensitive determination of the acceleration of gravity. The experiment proves the superiorness of non interacting fermions with respect to bosons for precision interferometry, and offers a way for the measurement of forces with microscopic spatial resolution.

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G. Roati, E. de Mirandes, F. Ferlaino, H. Ott, G. Modugno, M. Inguscio. 2004-02-12. Atom interferometry with trapped Fermi gases. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.92.230402

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