Related papers: Quantum Test of the Universality of Free Fall
We report on an improved test of the Universality of Free Fall using a rubidium-potassium dual-species matter wave interferometer. We describe our apparatus and detail challenges and solutions relevant when operating a potassium…
Does gravity influence local measurements? We use a dual-species atom interferometer with $2\,\text{s}$ of free-fall time to measure the relative acceleration between $^{85}$Rb and $^{87}$Rb wave packets in the Earth's gravitational field.…
We demonstrate how simultaneously-operated $^{39}$K -- $^{87}$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…
We report a test of the universality of free fall (UFF) by comparing the gravity acceleration of the $^{87}$Rb atoms in $m_F=+1$ versus that in $m_F=-1$, where the corresponding spin orientations are opposite. A Mach-Zehnder-type atom…
We report a test of the universality of free fall (UFF) related to spin-gravity coupling effects by comparing the gravity acceleration of the $^{87}$Rb atoms in $m_F=+1$ versus that in $m_F=-1$, where the corresponding spin orientations are…
We report the realization of a matter-wave interferometer based on Raman transitions which simultaneously interrogates two different atomic species ($^{87}$Rb and $^{85}$Rb). The simultaneous aspect of our experiment presents encouraging…
The unification of quantum theory and the general theory of relativity - describing gravity, is one of the most important challenges in science. Einstein's general theory of relativity is based on the principle of equivalence, and has been…
We have performed a precision atomic interferometry experiment on testing the universality of free fall (UFF) considering atoms' spin degree of freedom. Our experiment employs the Bragg atom interferometer with $^{87}$Rb atoms either in…
The influence od space-time curvature on quantum matter which can be theoretically described by covariant wave equations has not been experimentally established yet. In this paper we analyse in detail the suitability of the Ramsey atom beam…
Quantum technology based on cold-atom interferometers is showing great promise for fields such as inertial sensing and fundamental physics. However, the best precision achievable on Earth is limited by the free-fall time of the atoms, and…
The theory of general relativity describes macroscopic phenomena driven by the influence of gravity while quantum mechanics brilliantly accounts for microscopic effects. Despite their tremendous individual success, a complete unification of…
Atom interferometry is now reaching sufficient precision to motivate laboratory tests of general relativity. We begin by explaining the non-relativistic calculation of the phase shift in an atom interferometer and deriving its range of…
I analyze the change of the interference pattern in an optical interferometer when it passes from rest to free fall. It is shown that the "disconnection" of the gravitational field causes a jump in the phase difference that could be…
Accurate position and posture measurements of the freely-falling test mass are crucial for the success of spaceborne gravitational wave detection missions. This paper presents a novel laboratory-developed test mass motion readout that…
The computation of the phase shift in a symmetric atom interferometer in the presence of a gravitational field is reviewed. The difference of action-phase integrals between the two paths of the interferometer is zero for any Lagrangian…
We propose a quantum imaging-inspired setup for measuring gravitational fields using an atom that emits a photon at one of two possible locations. The atom acquires a gravitationally induced quantum phase that it shares with the photon. By…
We demonstrate a light-pulse atom interferometer based on the diffraction of free-falling atoms by a picosecond frequency-comb laser. More specifically, we coherently split and recombine wave packets of cold $^{87}$Rb atoms by driving…
We focus on the fact that light-pulse atom interferometers measure the atoms' acceleration with only three data points per drop. As a result, the measured effect of the gravity gradient is systematically larger than the true one, an error…
We observe matterwave interference of a single cesium atom in free fall. The interferometer is an absolute sensor of acceleration and we show that this technique is sensitive to forces at the level of $3.2\times10^{-27}$ N with a spatial…
The effect of the Earth's gravitational potential on a quantum wave function has only been observed for massive particles. In this paper we present a scheme to measure a gravitationally induced phase shift on a single photon travelling in a…