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arXiv · 1712.01388

Bragg gravity-gradiometer using the $^1$S$_0$-$^3$P$_1$ intercombination transition of $^{88}$Sr

Ruben P. del Aguila·Tommaso Mazzoni·Liang Hu·Leonardo Salvi·Guglielmo M. Tino·Nicola Poli
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Abstract

We present a gradiometer based on matter-wave interference of alkaline-earth-metal atoms, namely $^{88}$Sr. The coherent manipulation of the atomic external degrees of freedom is obtained by large-momentum-transfer Bragg diffraction, driven by laser fields detuned away from the narrow $^1$S$_0$-$^3$P$_1$ intercombination transition. We use a well-controlled artificial gradient, realized by changing the relative frequencies of the Bragg pulses during the interferometer sequence, in order to characterize the sensitivity of the gradiometer. The sensitivity reaches $1.5 \times 10^{-5}$ s$^{-2}$ for an interferometer time of 20 ms, limited only by geometrical constraints. We observed extremely low sensitivity of the gradiometric phase to magnetic field gradients, approaching a value 10$^{5}$ times lower than the sensitivity of alkali-atom based gradiometers. An efficient double-launch technique employing accelerated red vertical lattices from a single magneto-optical trap cloud is also demonstrated. These results highlight strontium as an ideal candidate for precision measurements of gravity gradients, with potential application in future precision tests of fundamental physics.

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Ruben P. del Aguila, Tommaso Mazzoni, Liang Hu, Leonardo Salvi, Guglielmo M. Tino, Nicola Poli. 2017-12-04. Bragg gravity-gradiometer using the $^1$S$_0$-$^3$P$_1$ intercombination transition of $^{88}$Sr. https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630%2Faab088

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