Separated Parallel Beam Generation for Atom Interferometry
AssigneeThe Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc.
InventorsMatthew A. Sinclair, Adam Kelsey, Richard E. Stoner
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Abstract
An atomic interferometer and methods for measuring phase shifts in interference fringes using the same. The atomic interferometer has a laser beam traversing an ensemble of atoms along a first path and an optical components train with at least one alignment-insensitive beam routing element configured to reflect the laser beam along a second path that is anti-parallel with respect to the first laser beam path. Any excursion from parallelism of the second beam path with respect to the first is rigorously independent of variation of the first laser beam path in yaw parallel to an underlying plane.
Claims11
An atomic interferometer comprising:
- a. an ensemble of atoms;
- b. a laser beam traversing the ensemble of atoms in a first laser beam path;
- c. an optical components train, comprising at least one alignment-insensitive beam routing element, configured to reflect the laser beam along a second laser beam path that is anti-parallel with respect to the first laser beam path;
- d. an entirely refractive alignment element for steering the laser beam into the optical components train;
- and
- a detector configured to detect spontaneous fluorescence emitted by atoms within the ensemble of atoms after traversal of the first and second laser beam paths.
An atomic interferometer comprising:
- a. an ensemble of atoms
- b. a laser beam traversing the ensemble of atoms;
- c. an optical component train, comprising at least one alignment-insensitive beam routing element, configured within the vacuum enclosure to reflect the laser beam along a second laser beam path that is anti-parallel with respect to the first laser beam path;
- d. an entirely refractive alignment element for steering the laser beam into the optical components train;
- and
- e. a detector configured to detect spontaneous fluorescence emitted by atoms within the beam of atoms after traversal of the first and second laser beam paths,
- wherein any excursion in yaw of the first laser beam path with respect to the ensemble of atoms is rigorously common mode to the first and second laser beam paths.
A method for measuring relative phase shifts in interference fringes between populations of internal states of a quantum system, the method comprising:
- a. generating an ensemble of free atoms within a vacuum chamber;
- b. coupling a laser beam so as to traverse the ensemble of atoms in a first laser beam path;
- c. configuring at least one alignment-insensitive beam routing element within the vacuum enclosure to reflect the laser beam along a second laser beam path that is anti-parallel with respect to the first laser beam path;
- d. aligning the first laser beam path with respect to the ensemble of atoms solely by refractive optics;
- and
- e. detecting spontaneous fluorescence emitted by atoms within the ensemble of atoms after traversal of the first and second laser beam paths.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.