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Atoms
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Advances in and Prospects for Matter Wave Interferometry
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Advances in and Prospects for Matter Wave Interferometry

A special issue of Atoms (ISSN 2218-2004).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2024 | Viewed by 10603

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Tim Kovachy

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
Department of Physics and Astronomy, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208-3118, USA
Interests: atom interferometry; low energy tests of fundamental physics; dark matter searches; gravitational wave detection; quantum foundations
Prof. Dr. Selim Shahriar

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
Department of Physics and Astronomy, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208-3118, USA
Interests: spin squeezing; atomic interferometry; atomic clocks; gravitational wave detection; dark matter search; inertial navigation
Dr. Andrew Geraci

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Physics and Astronomy, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208-3118, USA
Interests: tabletop tests for physics beyond the standard model; experimental gravitation; ultrasensitive force detection; quantum optomechanics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Matter wave interference is one of the defining signatures of quantum mechanics. The field of matter wave interferometry is currently experiencing a surge of advances. For example, atom interferometers have been developed that extend over macroscopic scales in space and in time, and molecular interferometry has been realized with masses in excess of 25,000 amu—corresponding to molecules consisting of more than 2,000 atoms. Ongoing research is progressing toward implementing matter wave interferometry with even more massive objects, such as nanoparticles and Schroedinger Cat states consisting of millions of atoms. Matter wave interferometers can serve as valuable tools for tests of fundamental physics, such as studies of quantum foundations, measurements of fundamental constants, searches for dark matter and dark energy, searches for new interactions beyond the Standard Model, and tests of the equivalence principle and other aspects of gravity. Moreover, multiple efforts are underway to explore experimentally the potential of matter wave interferometers to detect gravitational waves in currently unexplored frequency ranges. At the same time, matter interferometers are advancing as practical tools and sensors outside the laboratory. Portable atom interferometers, for instance, have been demonstrated to be highly capable gravitational and inertial sensors. Atom interferometry of Bose-Einstein condensates for arbitrary pattern nanolithography in two and three dimensions is also being investigated. The continued development of novel techniques in areas including matter wave optics, entanglement-enhanced matter wave interferometry, cooling and trapping, and detection of interference signals will play a critical role in enhancing the performance of matter wave interferometers. Efforts to identify new applications for matter wave interferometry and better understand and mitigate sources of systematic errors are also crucial. This Special Issue will include original and review articles on matter wave interferometry, with a focus on recent advances, future prospects, and challenges.

Dr. Tim Kovachy
Prof. Dr. Selim Shahriar
Dr. Andrew Geraci
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Atoms is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • atom interferometry
  • matter wave interferometry
  • quantum metrology
  • quantum foundations
  • precision measurements
  • tests of gravity
  • inertial sensing
  • dark matter
  • gravitational waves

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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19 pages, 2622 KiB  
Article
Sensitivity of a Point-Source-Interferometry-Based Inertial Measurement Unit Employing Large Momentum Transfer and Launched Atoms
by Jinyang Li, Timothy Kovachy, Jason Bonacum and Selim M. Shahriar
Atoms 2024, 12(6), 32; https://doi.org/10.3390/atoms12060032 - 11 Jun 2024
Viewed by 1191
Abstract
We analyze theoretically the sensitivity of accelerometry and rotation sensing with a point source interferometer employing large momentum transfer (LMT) and present a design of an inertial measurement unit (IMU) that can measure rotation around and acceleration along each of the three axes. [...] Read more.
We analyze theoretically the sensitivity of accelerometry and rotation sensing with a point source interferometer employing large momentum transfer (LMT) and present a design of an inertial measurement unit (IMU) that can measure rotation around and acceleration along each of the three axes. In this design, the launching technique is used to realize the LMT process without the need to physically change directions of the Raman pulses, thus significantly simplifying the apparatus. We also describe an explicit scheme for such an IMU. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in and Prospects for Matter Wave Interferometry)
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18 pages, 1849 KiB  
Article
Nanoparticle Interferometer by Throw and Catch
by Jakub Wardak, Tiberius Georgescu, Giulio Gasbarri, Alessio Belenchia and Hendrik Ulbricht
Atoms 2024, 12(2), 7; https://doi.org/10.3390/atoms12020007 - 25 Jan 2024
Viewed by 1862
Abstract
Matter wave interferometry with increasingly larger masses could pave the way to understanding the nature of wavefunction collapse, the quantum to classical transition, or even how an object in a spatial superposition interacts with its gravitational field. In order to improve upon the [...] Read more.
Matter wave interferometry with increasingly larger masses could pave the way to understanding the nature of wavefunction collapse, the quantum to classical transition, or even how an object in a spatial superposition interacts with its gravitational field. In order to improve upon the current mass record, it is necessary to move into the nanoparticle regime. In this paper, we provide a design for a nanoparticle Talbot–Lau matter wave interferometer that circumvents the practical challenges of previously proposed designs. We present numerical estimates of the expected fringe patterns that such an interferometer would produce, considering all major sources of decoherence. We discuss the practical challenges involved in building such an experiment, as well as some preliminary experimental results to illustrate the proposed measurement scheme. We show that such a design is suitable for seeing interference fringes with 106 amu SiO2 particles and that this design can be extended to even 108 amu particles by using flight times below the typical Talbot time of the system. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in and Prospects for Matter Wave Interferometry)
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23 pages, 1784 KiB  
Article
Characterization of a Continuous Beam Cold Atom Ramsey Interferometer
by Michael P. Manicchia, Jeffrey G. Lee and Frank A. Narducci
Atoms 2023, 11(3), 51; https://doi.org/10.3390/atoms11030051 - 5 Mar 2023
Viewed by 2071
Abstract
The use of atom interferometers in inertial systems holds the promise of improvement of several orders of magnitude in sensitivity over sensors using current technology such as micro-electro-mechanical (MEMS) devices or ring laser gyroscopes (RLGs). This paper describes the construction and characterization of [...] Read more.
The use of atom interferometers in inertial systems holds the promise of improvement of several orders of magnitude in sensitivity over sensors using current technology such as micro-electro-mechanical (MEMS) devices or ring laser gyroscopes (RLGs). This paper describes the construction and characterization of an atomic interferometry system for eventual use in a dual-atom-beam accelerometer/gyroscope sensor. In contrast with current state-of-the-art atomic sensors which use pulsed cold atom sources and pulsed laser beams, the investigated apparatus relies purely on continuous atomic and laser beams. These differences can result in a sensor with reduced complexity, a smaller physical footprint, and reduced power consumption. However, these differences also introduce challenges resulting from laser and atomic beam divergences and from velocity averaging due to both longitudinal and transverse velocity spreads. In this work, we characterize our rubidium-based atom beam system and show that Ramsey-style interference can still be observed. The implications for future research are also outlined and discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in and Prospects for Matter Wave Interferometry)
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14 pages, 1363 KiB  
Article
Robust Optimized Pulse Schemes for Atomic Fountain Interferometry
by Michael H. Goerz, Mark A. Kasevich and Vladimir S. Malinovsky
Atoms 2023, 11(2), 36; https://doi.org/10.3390/atoms11020036 - 10 Feb 2023
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2130
Abstract
The robustness of an atomic fountain interferometer with respect to variations in the initial velocity of the atoms and deviations from the optimal pulse amplitude is examined. We numerically simulate the dynamics of an interferometer in momentum space with a maximum separation of [...] Read more.
The robustness of an atomic fountain interferometer with respect to variations in the initial velocity of the atoms and deviations from the optimal pulse amplitude is examined. We numerically simulate the dynamics of an interferometer in momentum space with a maximum separation of 20ℏk and map out the expected signal contrast depending on the variance of the initial velocity distribution and the value of the laser field amplitude. We show that an excitation scheme based on rapid adiabatic passage significantly enhances the expected signal contrast, compared to the commonly used scheme consisting of a series of π/2 and π pulses. We demonstrate further substantial increase of the robustness by using optimal control theory to identify splitting and swapping pulses that perform well on an ensemble average of pulse amplitudes and velocities. Our results demonstrate the ability of optimal control to significantly enhance future implementations of atomic fountain interferometry. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in and Prospects for Matter Wave Interferometry)
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Review

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21 pages, 9092 KiB  
Review
Neutron Interferometer Experiments Studying Fundamental Features of Quantum Mechanics
by Armin Danner, Hartmut Lemmel, Richard Wagner, Stephan Sponar and Yuji Hasegawa
Atoms 2023, 11(6), 98; https://doi.org/10.3390/atoms11060098 - 15 Jun 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1864
Abstract
Quantum theory provides us with the best account of microscopic components of matter as well as of radiation. It was introduced in the twentieth century and has experienced a wide range of success. Although the theory’s probabilistic predictions of final experimental outcomes is [...] Read more.
Quantum theory provides us with the best account of microscopic components of matter as well as of radiation. It was introduced in the twentieth century and has experienced a wide range of success. Although the theory’s probabilistic predictions of final experimental outcomes is found to be correct with high precision, there is no general consensus regarding what is actually going on with a quantum system “en route”, or rather the perceivable intermediate behavior of a quantum system, e.g., the particle’s behavior in the double-slit experiment. Neutron interferometry using single silicon perfect crystals is established as a versatile tool to test fundamental phenomena in quantum mechanics, where an incident neutron beam is coherently split in two or three beam paths with macroscopic separation of several centimeters. Here, we present quantum optical experiments with these matter-wave interferometers, studying the effect of the quantum Cheshire Cat in some variants, the neutron’s presence in the paths of the interferometer as well as the direct test of a commutation relation. To reduce disturbances induced by the measurement, the interaction strength is lessened and so-called weak interactions are exploited by employing pre- and post-selection procedures. All results of the experiments confirm the predictions of quantum theory; the observed behaviors of the neutron between the pre- and post-selection in space and time emphasize striking and counter-intuitive aspects of quantum theory. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in and Prospects for Matter Wave Interferometry)
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