Hannover 2020 – scientific programme

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SYAI: Symposium Trends in atom interferometry

SYAI 1: Trends in atom interferometry

SYAI 1.3: Invited Talk

Monday, March 9, 2020, 15:00–15:30, e415

Fundamental physics with atom interferometry — •Paul Hamilton — University of California, Los Angeles, USA

Astrophysical evidence for dark matter and dark energy suggest there is new physics beyond the Standard Model of particle physics. Models describing this new physics generally have interactions that can lead to new forces on atoms. I will discuss two experiments using the ability of atom interferometry to make precise force measurements to constrain these possible new forces.

The first experiment uses interferometry of freely falling cesium atoms to search for a new force near a test mass in ultra-high vacuum. The resulting constraints have ruled out a large range of parameter space for several dark energy theories which predict forces that are typically screened in the presence of matter. The second experiment will use an optical cavity to continuously monitor ytterbium atoms trapped in an optical lattice. A force on the atoms leads to periodic Bloch oscillations in their wavefunction which can be detected in the transmission of light through the cavity. I will discuss a proof-of-principle experiment measuring the temperature of the ytterbium gas in microseconds by using the cavity to monitor sub-optical wavelength changes in the atomic distribution as well as future plans to search for new oscillating forces from ultralight dark matter.