Atom Interferometric Measurement of h/M and the Fine-structure Constant

这个实验项目是一个精密测量项目的延续，致力于进行h/M的原子干涉测量(其中h是普朗克常数，M是铯原子的质量)。这项测量将在0.5 ppb的水平上进行，这比以前的直接测量精度高出十倍以上。该测量可以与现有的质量测量相结合，在相同的精度水平下产生精细结构常数的测量。精细结构常数的新值可以与最近的一次独立测量进行比较，以对量子电动力学理论进行最精确的测试。这项研究的更广泛影响包括对将完成该项目博士学位的研究生的教育。更广泛的影响将来自于这样一个事实，即为该实验开发的方法有力地推动了最先进的技术，从而可能在原子干涉测量的许多应用中产生改进，例如导航、惯性传感、局部重力和牛顿常数的测量，以及广义和狭义相对论的测试。

This experimental project is a continuation an precision measurement project dedicated to making an atom-interferometric measurement of h/M (where h is Planck's constant and M is the mass of a cesium atom). This measurement will be made at the level of 0.5 ppb, which is more than a factor of ten more precise than previous direct measurements. The measurement can be combined with existing mass measurements to yield a measurement of the fine structure constant at the same level of accuracy. The new value of the fine-structure constant can be compared to a recent independent measurement to make the most precise test of the theory of quantum electrodynamics. The broader impact of this research includes the education of graduate students who will finish their PhDs on this project. Further broader impacts will derive from the fact that methods developed for this experiment strongly advance the state of the art and are thus likely to yield improvements in atom interferometry's many applications, such as navigation, inertial sensing, measurements of local gravity and Newton's constant, and tests of general and special relativity.