Velocimetry of cold atoms by matter-wave interferometry

Max Carey, Jack Saywell, Mohammad Belal, and Tim Freegarde
Phys. Rev. A 99, 023631 – Published 28 February 2019

Abstract

We present an elegant application of matter-wave interferometry to the velocimetry of cold atoms whereby, in analogy to Fourier transform spectroscopy, the one-dimensional velocity distribution is manifest in the frequency domain of the interferometer output. By using stimulated Raman transitions between hyperfine ground states to perform a three-pulse interferometer sequence, we have measured the velocity distributions of clouds of freely expanding Rb85 atoms with temperatures of 34 and 18μK. Quadrature measurement of the interferometer output as a function of the temporal asymmetry yields velocity distributions with excellent fidelity. Our technique, which is particularly suited to ultracold samples, compares favorably with conventional Doppler and time-of-flight techniques, and it reveals artefacts in standard Raman Doppler methods. The technique is related to, and provides a conceptual foundation of, interferometric matter-wave accelerometry, gravimetry, and rotation sensing.

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  • Received 12 February 2018
  • Corrected 17 September 2020

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.99.023631

©2019 American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Atomic, Molecular & Optical

Corrections

17 September 2020

Correction: One of the previously listed co-authors, David Elcock, requested that his name be removed from the author list, which has been implemented. A statement of thanks to Dr. Elcock has been added to the Acknowledgments.

Authors & Affiliations

Max Carey*, Jack Saywell, Mohammad Belal, and Tim Freegarde

  • School of Physics & Astronomy, University of Southampton, Highfield, Southampton SO17 1BJ, United Kingdom

  • *max.carey@soton.ac.uk

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Issue

Vol. 99, Iss. 2 — February 2019

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