SearcharxivSearch

arXiv subjects

Louis Pagot

Publications and source records attributed to Louis Pagot.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

Impact of Raman lasers beam profile inhomogeneities on a spaceborne quantum accelerometer

We report on the study of the impact of laser beam profile inhomogeneities on the acceleration measurements of a quantum accelerometer in space. This sensor uses a low ballistic expansion source based on delta-kick collimated Bose-Einstein condensates, and an interferometer configuration based on a sequence of Raman double diffraction beamsplitters, best suited to the microgravity environment. We characterize both phase and intensity fluctuations in terms of power spectral densities and calculate their impact on the interferometer phase, averaging over all trajectories of the atoms, via numerical simulations based on randomly drawn laser profiles as well as via analytical treatments. We show that high quality optics, such as those realized for gravitational wave detectors, combined with large initial size atomic sources, will allow to reduce interferometer phase bias and fluctuations to the order of 1 mrad corresponding to accelerations in the low 10 -12 m.s -2 range.

physics.atom-ph

Stroboscopic Raman Spectroscopy of Atom Optics in Quasi-Bragg Regime

Quasi-Bragg regime is a good compromise for large-momentum-transfer atom interferometry, allowing for scaling up the interferometric area, while constraining the population of unwanted states. Separation of momentum states via standard time of flight methods, however, can be challenging when using laser-cooled atoms, rather than ultracold atoms with sub-recoil velocity distribution. To overcome this limit, we use Raman spectroscopy for stroboscopic sampling of the atomic state evolution in momentum space during the interrogating laser pulses. We quantitatively characterize atom optics employing two-photon (2___k) and multi-photon (6___k) Bragg transitions, the latter being optionally enhanced with optimal control protocol. We closely match the observed dynamics of the atomic state with simulations. Finally, we perform momentum spectroscopy of the output states in a 6___k Bragg gravimeter.

physics.atom-ph

Rejection of wavefront aberrations in an atomic gradiometer

One of the main residual limitations of inertial sensors based on atom interferometry stems from laser beam distortions, which cause parasitic phase shifts and non-homogeneous matter-light couplings. Here we present numerical simulations, accompanied by analytical calculations, which quantify the impact of these effects in a cold atom gradiometer. We demonstrate that the propagation of interferometric laser beam aberrations, combined with initial asymmetry and significant time-of-flight expansion of the the two atomic sources, limit the common-mode rejection of phase noise in a differential configuration. The resulting deviations in gravitational acceleration and its gradient are within reach of current experimental devices. Our study allows us to evaluate the surface quality requirements for retroreflective optics in cold-atom gradiometers of various baselines, and can be extended to other sensors based on different interferometer geometries.

physics.atom-ph

Influence of optical aberrations on the accuracy of an atomic gravimeter

We present numerical simulations of the impact of laser beam wavefront aberrations in cold atom interferometers. We demonstrate that to reach accuracy at the mrad level, simulations cannot be based on a description of the retroreflection optics only with low-order Zernike polynomials, as the results will then depend on the decomposition order and the decomposition technique chosen. Moreover, simulations with high-order Zernike polynomials or equivalently high spatial frequency components require the propagation of aberrations to be taken into account, rather than adding them to the ideally propagated beam. Finally, we examine the impact of the parameters of the atomic source and show that the use of delta-kicked atomic cloud would efficiently mitigate the impact of this systematic effect.

physics.atom-ph

Role of the Berry curvature on BCS-type superconductivity in two-dimensional materials

We theoretically investigate how the Berry curvature, which arises in multi-band structures when the electrons can be described by an effective single-band Hamiltonian, affects the superconducting properties of two-dimensional electronic systems. Generically the Berry curvature is coupled to electric fields beyond those created by the periodic crystal potential. A potential source of such electric fields, which vary slowly on the lattice scale, is the mutual interaction between the electrons. We show that the Berry curvature provides additional terms in the Hamiltonian describing interacting electrons within a single band. When these terms are taken into account in the framework of the usual BCS weak-coupling treatment of a generic attractive interaction that allows for the formation of Cooper pairs, the coupling constant is modified. In pure singlet and triplet superconductors, we find that the Berry curvature generally lowers the coupling constant and thus the superconducting gap and the critical temperature as a function of doping. From an experimental point of view, a measured deviation from the expected BCS critical temperature upon doping, e.g. in doped two-dimensional transition-metal dichalcogenides, may unveil the strength of the Berry curvature.

cond-mat.mes-hall