Analytical Tools for Point Source Interferometry

Published

February 20, 2017

Author(s)

Gregory W. Hoth, John E. Kitching, Elizabeth A. Donley, Bruno M. Pelle

Abstract

Light pulse atom interferometry can be used to realize high-performance sensors of accelerations and rotations. In order to broaden the range of applications of these sensors, it is desirable to reduce their size and complexity. Point source interferometry (PSI) is a promising technique for accomplishing both of these goals. With PSI, rotations are measured by detecting the orientation and frequency of spatial fringe patterns in the atomic state. These spatial fringes are primarily due to a correlation between an atom's initial velocity and its final position, which is created by the expansion of a cold atom cloud. However, the fringe patterns are also influenced by the structure of the initial atomic distribution. We summarize several methods that can be used to investigate the relationship between the spatial fringe pattern and the initial atomic distribution. This relationship will need to understood in detail to realize an accurate gyroscope based on PSI.

Proceedings Title

Proceedings of SPIE, Photonics West: OPTO

Conference Dates

January 28-February 2, 2017

Conference Location

San Francsco, CA

Pub Type

Conferences

Download Paper

https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2247688

Keywords

cold-atom gyroscope, light pulse atom interferometer, point source interferometry

Citation

Hoth, G. , Kitching, J. , Donley, E. and Pelle, B. (2017), Analytical Tools for Point Source Interferometry, Proceedings of SPIE, Photonics West: OPTO, San Francsco, CA, [online], https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2247688 (Accessed October 12, 2025)