Berlin 2014 – scientific programme

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Q: Fachverband Quantenoptik und Photonik

Q 20: Quantum gases: Bosons I

Q 20.6: Talk

Tuesday, March 18, 2014, 12:00–12:15, UDL HS2002

Thermal ensembles evolved by Gravity-gradient potential — Luis Fernando Barragan-Gil, Oliver Gabel, and •Reinhold Walser — Institut für angewandte Physik, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Hochschulestr. 4a, 64289 Darmstadt

The realization of Bose-Einstein condensates in micro-gravity conditions, at the ZARM drop tower in Bremen by the QUANTUS collaboration [1,2] , has opened the possibility to measure corrections to local gravitational field of the Earth beyond the linear Earth's acceleration (g) [3,4]. This is known as the gravity gradient correction and it is the next dominan contribution found in classical newtonian physics as well as in general relativistic view of gravity.

We analyse a matter-wave interferometer for thermal ensembles [5], in the presence of the harmonic corrections to the gravitational potential, and look for the effect of temperature on the fringe pattern (i. e. reduction of contrast).

[1] Quantus Collaboration, http://www.iqo.unihannover.de/quantus.html

[2] van Zoest, T. et al, Bose-Einstein Condensation in Microgravity, Science, 328, 1540-1543 (2010)

[3] Dimopoulos, S. et al, General Relativistic effects in atom interferometry, Phys. Rev. D, 78 042003 (2008).

[4] Kasevich, M. A. and Chu, S., Atom Interferometry Using Stimulated Raman Transitions, Phys. Rev. D, 67, 181-184 (1991).

[5] Müntiga, H. et al, Interferometry with Bose-Einstein Condensates in Microgravity, PRL 110, 093602 (2013)