RUI: Atomic Interferometers and Lifetimes

该项目将研究空芯光纤中的原子导引，并对原子寿命进行精确测量。原子在一些光纤中空中心的引导类似于传统光纤中的光传输，并可能允许使用原子干涉仪进行一些基本物理测试，类似于光实验。对原子寿命的更好测量有助于更好地理解原子的结构和基本物理定律，如宇称破坏。这项研究的更广泛影响是，可能会开发出比GPS更好的惯性导航传感器，并提高对原子和分子及其化学的理解。此外，这项研究还将涉及对本科生和军事教师进行基础科学方面的培训。

This project will investigate atom guiding in hollow-core fibers and make precision measurements of atomic lifetimes. Atom guiding in the hollow centers of some optical fibers is analogous to light propagation in conventional fiber optics, and may allow a number of fundamental physics tests with atom interferometers similar to experiments with light. Better measurements of atomic lifetimes allow improved understanding of the structure of atoms and fundamental laws of physics such as parity violation. The broader impact of this research is the possibility of development of inertial navigational sensors that are better than GPS and improved understanding of atoms and molecules and their chemistry. Furthermore this research will involve training undergraduate students and military faculty in basic science.