Atom-interferometric test of the equivalence principle at the 10^-12 level
Chris Overstreet, Mark A. Kasevich
Abstract
We use a dual-species atom interferometer with 2 s of free-fall time to measure the relative acceleration between 85Rb and 87Rb wave packets in the Earth's gravitational field. Systematic errors arising from kinematic differences between the isotopes are suppressed by calibrating the angles and frequencies of the interferometry beams. We find an Eötvös parameter of [1.6 +/- 1.8 (stat) +/- 3.4 (syst)] x 10^-12, consistent with zero violation of the equivalence principle. With a resolution of up to 1.4 x 10^-11 g per shot, we demonstrate the highest sensitivity to the Eötvös parameter of any laboratory experiment.
Topics & Concepts
Atom interferometerInterferometryPhysicsKinematicsEquivalence (formal languages)Equivalence principle (geometric)Gravitational waveMeasure (data warehouse)OpticsGravitational fieldAtom (system on chip)Quantum mechanicsAstronomical interferometerMathematicsComputer scienceDiscrete mathematicsEmbedded systemDatabaseCold Atom Physics and Bose-Einstein CondensatesAdvanced Frequency and Time StandardsAtomic and Subatomic Physics Research