Atom Interferometer Based on Phase Coherent Splitting of Bose-Einstein Condensates with an Integrated Magnetic Grating

A. Günther, S. Kraft, C. Zimmermann, and J. Fortágh
Phys. Rev. Lett. 98, 140403 – Published 6 April 2007

Abstract

We report the phase coherent splitting of Bose-Einstein condensates by means of a phase grating produced near the surface of a microelectronic chip. A lattice potential with a period of 4μm is generated by the superposition of static and oscillating magnetic fields. Precise control of the diffraction is achieved by controlling the currents in the integrated conductors. The interference of overlapping diffraction orders is observed after 8 ms of propagation in a harmonic trap and subsequent ballistic expansion of the atomic ensemble. By analyzing the interference pattern we show a reproducible phase relation between the diffraction orders with an uncertainty limited by the resolution of the diffraction grating.

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  • Received 21 March 2006

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.98.140403

©2007 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

A. Günther, S. Kraft, C. Zimmermann, and J. Fortágh*

  • Physikalisches Institut der Universität Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 14, 72076 Tübingen, Germany

  • *Electronic address: fortagh@uni-tuebingen.de

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Vol. 98, Iss. 14 — 6 April 2007

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