Minimal laser system for atomic gravimetry

There has been a continuous progress in the simplification and miniaturization of laser manipulation of atoms towards portable devices. We demonstrate a laser system that only requires one laser, one acousto-optical modulator and one fiber electro-optical modulator to generate all the beams needed for an atomic gravimeter, providing a considerable simplification. The scheme used even allows for the implementation of an atomic fountain with no additional components. With small modifications, the system may be used to implement other atomic sensors such as atomic clocks, accelerometers, gyroscopes, or magnetometers.