Related papers: New apparatus design for high-precision measuremen…
In the field of cold atom inertial sensors, we present and analyze innovative configurations for improving their measurement range and sensitivity, especially attracting for onboard applications. These configurations rely on multi-species…
A precision measurement of the gravitational constant $G$ has been made using a beam balance. Special attention has been given to determining the calibration, the effect of a possible nonlinearity of the balance and the zero-point variation…
We present two projects aiming to probe key aspects of the theory of General Relativity with high-precision quantum sensors. These projects use cold-atom interferometry with the aim of measuring gravitational waves and testing the…
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…
Newton's constant is the least well-measured among the fundamental constants of Nature, and, indeed, its accurate measurement has long served an experimental challenge. Levitated mechanical systems are attracting growing attention for their…
Atom interferometry offers new perspectives for geophysics and inertial sensing. We present the industrial prototype of a new type of quantum-based instrument: a compact, transportable, differential quantum gravimeter capable of measuring…
Cold-atom inertial sensors target several applications in navigation, geoscience and tests of fundamental physics. Reaching high sampling rates and high inertial sensitivities, obtained with long interrogation times, represents a challenge…
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…
In this work, quantum gravity effects, which can potentially be measured in magnetometers through the Larmor frequency of atoms in an external magnetic field, are estimated. It is shown that the thermal motion of atoms can, in principle,…
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 explore the possibility of testing the quantum nature of the gravitational field with an ensemble of ultra-cold atoms. The use of many microscopic particles may circumvent some of the experimental obstacles encountered in recent…
Simulating magnetic effects with cold gases of neutral atoms is a challenge. Since these atoms have no charge, one needs to create artificial gauge fields by taking advantage of the geometric phases that can result for instance from…
We present a method for the accurate measurements of both the gravity acceleration and its vertical gradient using a dual atom interferometer, in principle free from any uncertainty related to the absolute or relative positions of the two…
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…
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…
The gravitational force on antimatter has never been directly measured. A method is suggested for measuring the acceleration of antimatter $(\bar g)$ by measuring the deflection of a beam of neutral antihydrogen atoms in the Earth's…
Light pulse atom interferometers (AIFs) are exquisite quantum probes of spatial inhomogeneity and gravitational curvature. Moreover, detailed measurement and calibration are necessary prerequisites for very-long-baseline atom interferometry…
Atomic gravimeters are the most accurate sensors for measuring gravity, yet a significant challenge lies in achieving high precision while also maintaining high dynamic range and robustness. Here, we develop a protocol for achieving robust…
In an ideal test of the equivalence principle, the test masses fall in a common inertial frame. A real experiment is affected by gravity gradients, which introduce systematic errors by coupling to initial kinematic differences between the…
Absolute gravimeters (AG) are used in geodesy, geophysics, and physics for a wide spectrum of applications. Stable gravimetric measurements over timescales from several days to decades are required to provide relevant insight into…