Twin-lattice atom interferometry
Martina Gebbe, Jan-Niclas Kirsten-Siemß, Matthias Gersemann, Hauke Müntinga, Sven Herrmann, Cláus Lämmerzahl, Holger Ahlers, Naceur Gaaloul, Christian Schubert, Klemens Hammerer, Sven Abend, Ernst M. Rasel
Abstract
Inertial sensors based on cold atoms have great potential for navigation, geodesy, or fundamental physics. Similar to the Sagnac effect, their sensitivity increases with the space-time area enclosed by the interferometer. Here, we introduce twin-lattice atom interferometry exploiting Bose-Einstein condensates of rubidium-87. Our method provides symmetric momentum transfer and large areas offering a perspective for future palm-sized sensor heads with sensitivities on par with present meter-scale Sagnac devices. Our theoretical model of the impact of beam splitters on the spatial coherence is highly instrumental for designing future sensors.