0000000000180378
AUTHOR
Wolfgang P. Schleich
Space-borne Bose–Einstein condensation for precision interferometry
Space offers virtually unlimited free-fall in gravity. Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) enables ineffable low kinetic energies corresponding to pico- or even femtokelvins. The combination of both features makes atom interferometers with unprecedented sensitivity for inertial forces possible and opens a new era for quantum gas experiments. On January 23, 2017, we created Bose-Einstein condensates in space on the sounding rocket mission MAIUS-1 and conducted 110 experiments central to matter-wave interferometry. In particular, we have explored laser cooling and trapping in the presence of large accelerations as experienced during launch, and have studied the evolution, manipulation and interf…
Double Bragg Interferometry.
We employ light-induced double Bragg diffraction of delta-kick collimated Bose-Einstein condensates to create three symmetric Mach-Zehnder interferometers. They rely on (i) first-order, (ii) two successive first-order, and (iii) second-order processes which demonstrate the scalability of the corresponding momentum transfer. With respect to devices based on conventional Bragg scattering, these symmetric interferometers double the scale factor and feature a better suppression of noise and systematic uncertainties intrinsic to the diffraction process. Moreover, we utilize these interferometers as tiltmeters for monitoring their inclination with respect to gravity.
Focus on atom optics and its applications
Atom optics employs the modern techniques of quantum optics and laser cooling to enable applications which often outperform current standard technologies. Atomic matter wave interferometers allow for ultra-precise sensors; metrology and clocks are pushed to an extraordinary accuracy of 17 digits using single atoms. Miniaturization and integration are driven forward for both atomic clocks and atom optical circuits. With the miniaturization of information-storage and -processing devices, the scale of single atoms is approached in solid state devices, where the laws of quantum physics lead to novel, advantageous features and functionalities. An upcoming branch of atom optics is the control of …
Localization and diffusion in Ising-type quantum networks
We investigate the effect of phase randomness in Ising-type quantum networks. These networks model a large class of physical systems. They describe micro- and nanostructures or arrays of optical elements such as beam splitters (interferometers) or parameteric amplifiers. Most of these stuctures are promising candidates for quantum information processing networks. We demonstrate that such systems exhibit two very distinct types of behaviour. For certain network configurations (parameters), they show quantum localization similar to Anderson localization whereas classical stochastic behaviour is observed in other cases. We relate these findings to the standard theory of quantum localization.