Institute of Quantum Optics Institute News & Events
QUANTUS: New symmetric interferometer scheme experimentally realized

QUANTUS: New symmetric interferometer scheme experimentally realized

With double Bragg diffraction it is possible to realize a new symmetric interferometer scheme, measuring the tilt with respect to gravity.

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.

journals.aps.org/prl/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevLett.116.173601