Research project A05 – SFB 1227 DQ-mat – Leibniz University Hannover

Introduction

The primary goal of this project is to advance the theoretical and practical frameworks of atom interferometry, focusing on extending both one-dimensional and large-momentum-transfer (LMT) models to incorporate three-dimensional aspects, inelastic scattering processes, and complex light-matter interactions. This includes optimising light pulse sequences for improved metrological accuracy, developing robust computational methods for analysing gravitational interactions of quantum systems and classical gravitational fields, and tailoring these advancements for diverse applications ranging from gravimetry to space projects. Collectively, these efforts aim to overcome current limitations in precision measurements and theoretical understanding, enhancing the utility of atom interferometry in various scientific and practical domains.

Results

In the previous funding period, we developed an analytical microscopic theory for high-order Bragg diffraction based on the adiabatic theorem. We presented a theoretical framework for analysing such pulses, grounded in the profound insight that the physics of Bragg pulses can be effectively described by the adiabatic theorem. Our research demonstrated that efficient Bragg diffraction can be achieved with any smoothly varying and adiabatic pulse shape, with high-fidelity Gaussian pulses being a prime example of such adiabatic pulses.

Another goal of the previous funding period was to set up a systematic mathematical scheme that would allow to compute in a systematic fashion all those additional terms in the Hamiltonian that result from the interaction of the system with an external gravitational field. Our approach was based on a well defined expansion scheme in terms of the inverse of the velocity of light (a so-called post-Newtonian approximation). This led to novel expansion techniques which we subsequently applied to a electromagnetically bound 2- body system (called “atom”), thereby giving the first complete and systematic derivation of all couplings such systems to the Eddington-Robertson class of spherically symmetric and static gravitational fields.

Objectives

Publications

First 1 2 3 Last

Werner M, Schwartz PK, Kirsten-Siemß JN, Gaaloul N, Giulini D, Hammerer K. Atom interferometers in weakly curved spacetimes using Bragg diffraction and Bloch oscillations. Physical Review D. 2024 Jan 29;109(2):022008. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevD.109.022008

Williams JR, Sackett CA, Ahlers H, Aveline DC, Boegel P, Botsi S et al. Pathfinder experiments with atom interferometry in the Cold Atom Lab onboard the International Space Station. Nature Communications. 2024 Dec;15(1):6414. Epub 2024 Aug 13. doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-50585-6

Abend S, Allard B, Arnold AS, Ban T, Barry L, Battelier B et al. Technology roadmap for cold-atoms based quantum inertial sensor in space. AVS Quantum Science. 2023 Mar;5(1):019201. Epub 2023 Mar 20. doi: 10.1116/5.0098119

Alibabaei A, Schwartz PK, Giulini D. Geometric post-Newtonian description of massive spin-half particles in curved spacetime. Classical and Quantum Gravity. 2023 Nov 7;40(23):235014. doi: 10.1088/1361-6382/ad079c

Elliott ER, Aveline DC, Bigelow NP, Boegel P, Botsi S, Charron E et al. Quantum gas mixtures and dual-species atom interferometry in space. NATURE. 2023 Nov 16;623:502-508. Epub 2023 Nov 15. doi: 10.48550/arXiv.2306.15223, 10.1038/s41586-023-06645-w

Giulini D, Großardt A, Schwartz PK. Coupling Quantum Matter and Gravity. In Pfeifer C, Lämmerzahl C, editors, Modified and Quantum Gravity: From Theory to Experimental Searches on All Scales. Cham: Springer, Cham. 2023. p. 491-550. (Lecture Notes in Physics). doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-31520-6_16

Kirsten-Siemß JN, Fitzek F, Schubert C, Rasel EM, Gaaloul N, Hammerer K. Large-Momentum-Transfer Atom Interferometers with μrad -Accuracy Using Bragg Diffraction. Physical review letters. 2023 Jul 19;131(3):033602. doi: 10.48550/arXiv.2208.06647, 10.1103/PhysRevLett.131.033602

Lindberg DR, Gaaloul N, Kaplan L, Williams JR, Schlippert D, Boegel P et al. Asymmetric tunneling of Bose-Einstein condensates. Journal of Physics B: Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics. 2023 Jan 18;56(2):025302. doi: 10.48550/arXiv.2110.15298, 10.1088/1361-6455/acae50

Pichery A, Meister M, Piest B, Böhm J, Rasel EM, Charron E et al. Efficient numerical description of the dynamics of interacting multispecies quantum gases. AVS Quantum Science. 2023 Dec;5(4):044401. Epub 2023 Nov 7. doi: 10.48550/arXiv.2305.13433, 10.1116/5.0163850

Albers H, Corgier R, Herbst A, Rajagopalan A, Schubert C, Vogt C et al. All-optical matter-wave lens using time-averaged potentials. Communications Physics. 2022 Mar 16;5(1):60. doi: 10.48550/arXiv.2109.08608, 10.1038/s42005-022-00825-2

Gaaloul N, Meister M, Corgier R, Pichery A, Boegel P, Herr W et al. A space-based quantum gas laboratory at picokelvin energy scales. Nature Communications. 2022 Dec 22;13(1):7889. doi: 10.48550/arXiv.2201.06919, 10.1038/s41467-022-35274-6

Martinez-Lahuerta VJ, Eilers S, Mehlstaeubler TE, Schmidt PO, Hammerer K. Ab initio quantum theory of mass defect and time dilation in trapped-ion optical clocks. Physical Review A. 2022 Sept 3;106(3):032803. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevA.106.032803, 10.48550/arXiv.2202.10854

Boegel P, Meister M, Siemß JN, Gaaloul N, Efremov MA, Schleich WP. Diffractive focusing of a uniform Bose–Einstein condensate. Journal of Physics B-Atomic Molecular and Optical Physics. 2021 Oct 19;54(18):185301. doi: 10.1088/1361-6455/ac2ab6

Corgier R, Gaaloul N, Smerzi A, Pezzè L. Delta-Kick Squeezing. Physical Review Letters. 2021 Oct 29;127(18):183401. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.127.183401

Gebbe M, Siemß JN, Gersemann M, Müntinga H, Herrmann S, Lämmerzahl C et al. Twin-lattice atom interferometry. Nature Communications. 2021 May 5;12(1):2544. doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-22823-8

Hensel T, Loriani S, Schubert C, Fitzek F, Abend S, Ahlers H et al. Inertial sensing with quantum gases: a comparative performance study of condensed versus thermal sources for atom interferometry. European Physical Journal D. 2021 Mar 22;75:108. doi: 10.1140/epjd/s10053-021-00069-9, 10.48550/arXiv.2009.03635

Kanthak S, Gebbe M, Gersemann M, Abend S, Rasel EM, Krutzik M. Time-domain optics for atomic quantum matter. New journal of physics. 2021 Sept 1;23(9):093002. doi: 10.1088/1367-2630/ac1285

Canuel B, Abend S, Amaro-Seoane P, Badaracco F, Beaufils Q, Bertoldi A et al. ELGAR: a European Laboratory for Gravitation and Atom-interferometric Research. Classical and Quantum Gravity. 2020 Oct 28;37(22):225017. doi: 10.48550/arXiv.1911.03701, 10.1088/1361-6382/aba80e

Corgier R, Loriani S, Ahlers H, Posso-Trujillo K, Schubert C, Rasel EM et al. Interacting quantum mixtures for precision atom interferometry. New Journal of Physics. 2020 Dec 11;22(12):123008. doi: 10.1088/1367-2630/abcbc8

Fitzek F, Siemß JN, Seckmeyer S, Ahlers H, Rasel EM, Hammerer K et al. Universal atom interferometer simulation of elastic scattering processes. Scientific Reports. 2020 Dec 17;10(1):22120. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-78859-1, 10.15488/10752

All publications of the Collaborative Research Centre

Overview