State labelling Wannier-Stark atomic interferometers

Bruno Pelle (1) , Adèle Hilico (2) , Gunnar Tackmann (2) , Quentin Beaufils (2) , Franck Pereira dos Santos (2)

1 Interférométrie Atomique et Capteurs Inertiels
2 SYRTE - Systèmes de Référence Temps Espace

Using cold 87Rb atoms trapped in a 1D-optical lattice, atomic interferometers involving coherent superpositions between different Wannier-Stark atomic states are realized. Two di fferent kinds of trapped interferometer schemes are presented: a Ramsey-type interferometer sensitive both to clock frequency and external forces, and a symmetric accordion-type interferometer, sensitive to external forces only. We evaluate the limits in terms of sensitivity and accuracy of those schemes and discuss their application as force sensors. As a first step, we apply these interferometers to the measurement of the Bloch frequency and the demonstration of a compact gravimeter.

Mots clés: atom interferometry; optical lattice

Domaines: Physique Atomique [physics.atom-ph]

Bruno Pelle, Adèle Hilico, Gunnar Tackmann, Quentin Beaufils, Franck Pereira dos Santos. State labelling Wannier-Stark atomic interferometers. 2013. ⟨hal-00780021⟩