Related papers: Measuring gravity by holding atoms
Quantum reflection occurs when ultra-cold atoms are incident on a material surface with sufficiently low velocity. The reflecting matter wave can interfere with the incident wave to form a detectable pattern, and this pattern contains…
Since the first appearance of general relativity in 1916, various experiments have been conducted to test the theory. Due to the weakness of the interactions involved, all of the documented tests were carried out in a gravitational field…
We have developed a matter wave interferometer based on the diffraction of atoms from effective absorption gratings of light. In a setup with cold rubidium atoms in an atomic fountain the interferometer has been used to carry out tests of…
Recent progresses on quantum control of cold atoms and trapped ions in both the scientific and technological aspects greatly advance the applications in precision measurement. Thanks to the exceptional controllability and versatility of…
Atom interferometers allow the measurement of the acceleration of freely falling atoms with respect to an experimental platform at rest on Earth's surface. Such experiments have been used to test the universality of free fall by comparing…
Atoms from an otherwise unconfined 87Rb condensate are shown to be suspended against gravity using repeated reflections from a pulsed optical standing wave. Reflection efficiency was optimized using a triple-pulse sequence that,…
Atomic interferometry methods used to measure the Newtonian gravitational constant. To improve the accuracy, one should measure the phase of an atomic interferometer at extreme values of atomic vertical velocities and coordinates. Owing to…
Various models have been proposed in which the Schr\"odinger equation is modified to account for a decay of spatial coherences of massive objects. While optomechanical systems and matter-wave interferometry with large clusters are promising…
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…
The techniques of laser cooling combined with atom interferometry make possible the realization of very sensitive and accurate inertial sensors like gyroscopes or accelerometers. Besides earth-based developments, the use of these techniques…
We describe a light-pulse atom interferometer that is suitable for any species of atom and even for electrons and protons as well as their antiparticles, in particular for testing the Einstein equivalence principle with antihydrogen. The…
Considerable attention has been focused on Verlinde's recent work, claiming that Newton's gravity is not a fundamental force. In a recent work (arXiv:1012.5858), we give further the logic basis and basic clues to derive the Newton's…
Light-pulse atom interferometers based on single-photon transitions are a promising tool for gravitational-wave detection in the mid-frequency band and the search for ultralight dark-matter fields. Here we present a novel measurement scheme…
The advantage of attosecond measurements is the possibility of time-resolving ultrafast quantum phenomena of electron dynamics. Many such measurements are of interferometric nature, and therefore give access to the phase. Likewise, weak…
We demonstrate an atomic interferometer based on ultra-cold atoms released from an optical lattice. This technique yields a large improvement in signal to noise over a related interferometer previously demonstrated. The interferometer…
A defining signature of classical systems is "in principle measurability" without disturbance: a feature manifestly violated by quantum systems. We describe a multi-interferometer experimental setup that can, in principle, reveal the…
Gravity is the weakest of all known forces. Measuring the force of gravity from micro and nano-scale source masses is an essential first step toward low-energy quantum gravity tests. In addition, measuring gravitational forces where the…
Atomic interference experiments can probe the gravitational redshift via the internal energy splitting of atoms and thus give direct access to test the universality of the coupling between matter-energy and gravity at different spacetime…
We developed a gravity-gradiometer based on atom interferometry for the determination of the Newtonian gravitational constant \textit{G}. The apparatus, combining a Rb fountain, Raman interferometry and a juggling scheme for fast launch of…
Changes of surface gravity on Earth are of great interest in geodesy, earth sciences and natural resource exploration. They are indicative of Earth system's mass redistributions and vertical surface motion, and are usually measured with…