Institute of Quantum Optics Research Groups Quantum Sensing News & Open Positions
QUANTUS-2: PhD Position - Interferometry with ultra-cold mixtures in microgravity

QUANTUS-2: PhD Position - Interferometry with ultra-cold mixtures in microgravity

Within the QUANTUS collaboration, a high-resolution interferometer employing an atom chip for generating Bose-Einstein condensates (BEC) of Rubidium is currently prepared for first experiments in the catapult of the drop tower Bremen.

This new apparatus [Microgravity Sci. Technol. 23, 3, 287-292 (2011)] can produce BECs of 105 87Rb-atoms within one second, which makes it one of the fastest BEC machines. The design builds on the pioneering experiments in the drop tower demonstrating BECs and BEC interferometry. With a total free fall duration of up to nine seconds the catapult provides the means to extend the interferometer over up to now inaccessible time scales. This shall be exploited to perform a quantum test of Einsteins equivalence principle with unprecedented sensitivity with ultra-cold ensembles of Rubidium and potassium atoms. This will pave the way for future satellite missions as proposed e.g. in STE-QUEST.