Heidelberg 2015 – wissenschaftliches Programm

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Q: Fachverband Quantenoptik und Photonik

Q 15: Poster: Quantum Optics and Photonics I

Q 15.61: Poster

Montag, 23. März 2015, 17:00–19:00, C/Foyer

Very Long Baseline Atom Interferometry for High-Accuracy Gravimetry and Tests of Fundamental Physics — •Étienne Wodey, Christian Meiners, Jonas Hartwig, Dennis Schlippert, Christian Schubert, Wolfgang Ertmer, and Ernst M. Rasel — Institut für Quantenoptik, Leibniz Universität Hannover

Very Long Baseline Atom Interferometry (VLBAI) represents a new class of experiments in atom optics with applications in high-accuracy absolute gravimetry, gradiometry and tests of fundamental physics. Extending the baseline of gravimeters from tens of centimeters to several meters opens the way for competition with superconducting gravimeters and quantum tests of the universality of free fall (UFF) at an unprecedented level, comparable to those achieved by classical lunar laser ranging and torsion balance tests. Also, the implementation of a gradiometer in the vertical direction will complement the research effort done by the MIGA collaboration towards 3D gravity antennas and mapping of space-time strain in the low-frequency range. The VLBAI-Teststand will consist of a 10m-baseline atom interferometer implemented in the Hannover Institut für Technologie (HITec) of the LUH. For UFF tests, it will be operated as a simultaneous gravimeter using ultracold mixtures of ytterbium and rubidium atoms. The choice of ytterbium is motivated by its high mass and the very small sensitivity of the ground states of the bosonic isotopes to magnetic fields, enabling better control of the systematics and constraining violation parameters. In this poster, we present an overview of the design of the apparatus and the status of our source of cold ytterbium atoms.