English

Testing the Universality of Free Fall using correlated $^{39}$K -- $^{87}$Rb interferometers

Atomic Physics 2022-09-20 v1 General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology Quantum Physics

Abstract

We demonstrate how simultaneously-operated 39^{39}K -- 87^{87}Rb interferometers exhibiting a high level of correlation can be used to make competitive tests of the university of free fall. This work provides an overview of our experimental apparatus and data analysis procedure, including a detailed study of systematic effects. With a total interrogation time of 2T=402T = 40 ms in a compact apparatus, we reach a statistical uncertainty on the measurement of the E\"{o}tv\"{o}s parameter of 7.8×1087.8 \times 10^{-8} after 2.4×1042.4 \times 10^4 s of integration. The main limitations to our measurement arise from a combination of wavefront aberrations, the quadratic Zeeman effect in 39^{39}K, parasitic interferometers in 87^{87}Rb, and the velocity sensitivity of our detection system. These systematic errors limit the accuracy of our measurement to η=0.9(1.6)×106\eta = 0.9(1.6) \times 10^{-6}. We discuss prospects for improvements using ultracold atoms at extended interrogation times.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2110.13273,
  title  = {Testing the Universality of Free Fall using correlated $^{39}$K -- $^{87}$Rb interferometers},
  author = {Brynle Barrett and Gabriel Condon and Laure Chichet and Laura Antoni-Micollier and Romain Arguel and Martin Rabault and Celia Pelluet and Vincent Jarlaud and Arnaud Landragin and Philippe Bouyer and Baptiste Battelier},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2110.13273},
  year   = {2022}
}