Atom interferometric measurements aboard the International Space Station

ORAL

Abstract

Atom interferometers based on Bose-Einstein condensates are expected to be exquisite systems for quantum sensing applications like Earth observation, relativistic geodesy, and tests of fundamental physical concepts. Since the sensitivity of most atomic sensors scales quadratically with the interrogation time, it is beneficial to extend the free fall time by working in a microgravity environment.

We report here on a series of experiments performed with NASA's Cold Atom Lab aboard the International Space Station demonstrating first atom interferometers in orbit. By employing Mach-Zehnder-type geometries we have realized atomic magnetometers and successfully compared their outcome to complementary non-interferometric measurements. Current experimental limitations as well as future perspectives will be discussed. These results pave the way towards future precision measurements with atom interferometers in space.

*This project is supported by NASA/JPL through RSA No. 1616833 and the German Space Agency (DLR) with funds provided by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) due to an enactment of the German Bundestag under the grant numbers 50WP1705 and 50WM1861-1862.

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Presenters

  • Matthias Meister

    • Institut für Quantentechnologien, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Ulm, Germany
    • Institute of Quantum Technologies, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Ulm, Germany
    • Institut für Quantentechnologien, Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR), Ulm, Germany
    • Institute of Quantum Technologies, German Aerospace Center

Authors

  • Matthias Meister

    • Institut für Quantentechnologien, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Ulm, Germany
    • Institute of Quantum Technologies, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Ulm, Germany
    • Institut für Quantentechnologien, Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR), Ulm, Germany
    • Institute of Quantum Technologies, German Aerospace Center

  • Naceur Gaaloul

    • Leibniz University Hannover, Institute of Quantum Optics
    • Univ Hannover
    • Institut für Quantenoptik, Leibniz University Hannover, Hannover, Germany
    • Leibniz University Hannover
    • Institut für Quantenoptik, Leibniz Universität Hannover, Welfengarten 1, D-30167 Hannover, Germany

  • Nicholas P Bigelow

    • University of Rochester
    • The Institute of Optics, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, USA