Precisely mapping the magnetic field gradient in vacuum with an atom interferometer

Journal Article · Wed Dec 15 00:00:00 EST 2010 · Physical Review. A

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PHYSREVA.82.061602· OSTI ID:21528799

Minkang, Zhou; Zhongkun, Hu; Xiaochun, Duan; Buliang, Sun; Jinbo, Zhao; Jun, Luo ^[1]

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1. School of Physics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074 (China)

The magnetic field gradient has been measured with an atom interferometer using the magnetic sublevels of {sup 87}Rb atoms. The Doppler-insensitive measurement effectively eliminates the contribution from gravity and background vibration noise, and the differential measurement also can reject some systematic errors. A resolution of 300 pT/mm has been demonstrated with a 90-s integration time and a spatial resolution of 1.4 mm. The gradiometer was then used to measure the magnetic field gradient in an ultrahigh-vacuum environment. The technique will also be very useful to subtract the systematic error arising from the magnetic field inhomogeneity in precision atom-interferometry experiments, such as gravity measurement.

• OSTI ID: 21528799
• Journal Information: Physical Review. A, Vol. 82, Issue 6; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevA.82.061602; (c) 2010 American Institute of Physics; ISSN 1050-2947
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS
ACCURACY
ATOMS
BACKGROUND NOISE
ERRORS
GRAVITATION
INTERFEROMETERS
INTERFEROMETRY
MAGNETIC FIELDS
MAPPING
PRESSURE RANGE NANO PA
RUBIDIUM 87
SPATIAL RESOLUTION
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI
ISOTOPES
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
NOISE
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
PRESSURE RANGE
RADIOISOTOPES
RESOLUTION
RUBIDIUM ISOTOPES
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES