Research project B07 – SFB 1227 DQ-mat – Leibniz University Hannover

Introduction

In this project, we will advance metrology and test fundamental physics along four main axes in the recently completed Very Long Baseline Atom Interferometry (VLBAI) facility at the Hannover Institute of Technology (HITec). We will use time-averaged potentials to increase its duty cycle by creating and launching a multitude of ultra-cold clouds in rapid succession. Using the 10 m vacuum tube as a delay line, this generates a window in time during which a new ultra-cold ensemble can be reloaded and thus in principle offers dead-time free measurements. We will furthermore optimise large-momentum transfer beam splitting techniques based on Bragg and Bloch mechanisms in the vertical direction

Key components of the Hannover VLBAI facility

Results

The VLBAI facility at HITec is the pioneering instrument of its kind in Europe and with its completion we have laid the grounds for advancing the landscape of precision tests at the interface of quantum mechanics and general relativity using highly sensitive matter wave interferometry. It grants exciting possibilities for the investigation of quantum objects interacting with external gravitational fields across a 10 m vertical baseline with free evolution times of nearly three seconds in launch mode. Our apparatus features a high-performance magnetic shield protecting the phase evolution of matter waves in superposition from spurious forces and decoherence through technical noise. We have performed an extensive characterisation of the gravity environment surrounding the VLBAI facility and have implemented a state-of-the-art six-degrees-of-freedom seismic attenuation system (SAS) with the possibility to correlate atom interferometers with state-of-the-art auxiliary sensors for mitigation of vibrational noise.

We have recently implemented our all-optical source of rubidium Bose-Einstein condensates at the bottom end of the 10 m facility and the matter-wave interferometry laser systems allowing us to perform first atom-optical experiments. We were able to demonstrate record evaporation flux with evaporation ramps as short as 170 ms implemented a 2D matter-wave lens accessing the hundreds of picokelvin regime, and proposed a recipe towards ≤20 pK for the VLBAI facility.

Objectives

In close collaboration with project B01 (entangled neutral atoms) with the aim to establish compatibility with squeezed momentum states, we will analyse and optimise their fidelity in our system. With our world wide unique high-performance magnetic shield and an unprecedented low-frequency vibration isolation system we will be able to create metre-scale superposition states and thus help shed light on various proposed fundamental decoherence mechanisms and the validity of the principle of superposition. Finally, we envision interference experiments in non-uniform gravitational potentials created by a test mass multipole movable along the 10 m baseline.

Publications

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Showing results 1 - 20 out of 38

Gersemann M, Rajagopalan A, Abidi M, Barbey P, Sabu A, Chen X et al. Developments for quantum inertial navigation systems employing Bose–Einstein condensates. Applied physics reviews. 2025 Sept;12(3):031306. Epub 2025 Jul 1. doi: 10.1063/5.0250666

Stolzenberg K, Struckmann C, Bode S, Li R, Herbst A, Vollenkemper V et al. Multi-Axis Inertial Sensing with 2D Matter-Wave Arrays. Physical Review Letters. 2025 Apr 9;134(14):143601. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.134.143601, 10.48550/arXiv.2403.08762

Werner M, Lezeik A, Schlippert D, Rasel E, Gaaloul N, Hammerer K. Atom interferometric sensing over large baselines. In Shahriar SM, editor, Quantum Sensing, Imaging, and Precision Metrology III. SPIE. 2025. 133920C. (Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering). doi: 10.1117/12.3054172

Werner M, Lezeik A, Schlippert D, Rasel EM, Gaaloul N, Hammerer K. Local measurement scheme of gravitational curvature using atom interferometers. Communications Physics. 2025 Nov 14;8(1):463. doi: 10.1038/s42005-025-02396-4, 10.48550/arXiv.2409.03515

Fitzek F, Kirsten-Siemß JN, Rasel EM, Gaaloul N, Hammerer K. Accurate and efficient Bloch-oscillation-enhanced atom interferometry. Physical Review Research. 2024 Aug 5;6(3):L032028. doi: 10.48550/arXiv.2306.09399, 10.1103/physrevresearch.6.l032028

Herbst A, Estrampes T, Albers H, Vollenkemper V, Stolzenberg K, Bode S et al. High-flux source system for matter-wave interferometry exploiting tunable interactions. Physical Review Research. 2024 Feb 2;6(1):013139. doi: 10.1103/physrevresearch.6.013139

Herbst A, Estrampes T, Albers H, Corgier R, Stolzenberg K, Bode S et al. Matter-wave collimation to picokelvin energies with scattering length and potential shape control. Communications Physics. 2024 Apr 25;7(1):132. doi: 10.1038/s42005-024-01621-w

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

Abend S, Rasel EM. Twin lattice interferometry for inertial sensing. In Scheuer J, Shahriar SM, editors, Quantum Sensing, Imaging, and Precision Metrology. SPIE. 2023. 1244704. (Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering). doi: 10.1117/12.2662377

An Z, Soubelet P, Zhumagulov Y, Zopf M, Delhomme A, Qian C et al. Strain control of exciton and trion spin-valley dynamics in monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides. Physical Review B. 2023 Jul 20;108(4):L041404. doi: 10.48550/arXiv.2303.15325, 10.1103/PhysRevB.108.L041404

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

Lezeik A, Tell D, Zipfel K, Gupta V, Wodey É, Rasel E et al. Understanding the gravitational and magnetic environment of a very long baseline atom interferometer. In Lehnert R, editor, Proceedings of the 9th Meeting on CPT and Lorentz Symmetry, CPT 2022: Proceedings of the Ninth Meeting on CPT and Lorentz Symmetry. World Scientific. 2023. p. 64-68. (Proceedings of the 9th Meeting on CPT and Lorentz Symmetry, CPT 2022). Epub 2022 Sept 19. doi: 10.48550/arXiv.2209.08886, 10.1142/9789811275388_0014

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

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

Herbst A, Albers H, Stolzenberg K, Bode S, Schlippert D. Rapid generation of all-optical K39 Bose-Einstein condensates using a low-field Feshbach resonance. Physical Review A. 2022 Oct 21;106(4):043320. doi: 10.1103/physreva.106.043320

Anders F, Idel A, Feldmann P, Bondarenko D, Loriani S, Lange K et al. Momentum Entanglement for Atom Interferometry. Physical Review Letters. 2021 Oct 1;127(14):140402. Epub 2021 Sept 29. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.127.140402

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

Kaltenbaek R, Acin A, Bacsardi L, Bianco P, Bouyer P, Diamanti E et al. Quantum technologies in space. Experimental astronomy. 2021 Jun;51(3):1677-1694. Epub 2021 Jun 25. doi: 10.1007/s10686-021-09731-x

All publications of the Collaborative Research Centre

Overview