What is it about?
Atom interferometers leverage the wave-like nature of atoms to detect very small accelerations. Sources of new physics, including dark matter, can manifest as small accelerations the interferometer is designed to detect. Increasing the height of an atom interferometer generally enhances its sensitivity to these accelerations, but comes at the price of making it increasingly difficult to isolate the atoms from Coriolis-force-induced accelerations emerging from the rotation of the Earth. In this work, we present a new scheme that enables Coriolis forces to be accurately compensated in tall atom interferometers, removing them as an obstacle to measurement precision.
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Why is it important?
The technique outlined in this work will enable tall atom interferometers to operate without being constrained by systematic errors arising from Earth's rotation, allowing them to reach unprecedented sensitivity to ultra-light dark matter, search for gravitational waves in unexplored frequency ranges, and perform record-breaking tests of quantum mechanics at macroscopic scales.
Perspectives
This result is especially timely given that multiple large-scale atom interferometers are currently being developed around the world to pursue new opportunities in dark matter and gravitational wave detection, among other scientific goals.
Tim Kovachy
Northwestern University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Coriolis force compensation and laser beam delivery for 100-m baseline atom interferometry, AVS Quantum Science, January 2024, American Vacuum Society,
DOI: 10.1116/5.0180083.
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