Abstract
Clouds of ultra-cold atoms and especially Bose-Einstein condensates (BEC) provide a source for coherent matter-waves in numerous earth bound experiments. Analogous to optical interferometry, matter-wave interferometers can be used for precision measurements allowing for a sensitivity orders of magnitude above their optical counterparts. However, in some respects the presence of gravitational forces in the lab limits experimental possibilities. In this article, we report about a compact and robust experiment generating Bose-Einstein condensates in the drop tower facility in Bremen, Germany. We also present the progress of building the succeeding experiment in which a two species atom interferometer will be implemented to test the weak equivalence principle with quantum matter.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 287-292 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Microgravity - Science and Technology |
Volume | 23 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Jun 2011 |
Keywords
- Microgravity
- Atom interferometry
- BEC
- Equivalence principle
- Inertial Sensors