Rydberg atom interferometry for antimatter gravity

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The quantum behaviour of atoms can be exploited to perform matter wave interferometry, whereby single atoms are prepared in a superposition of two different states and then spatially separated to follow two different classical paths before being recombined to interfere. Atom interferometry has applications including the sensing and measurement of fields or accelerations, for example due to gravity. It is often performed with ground state atoms. However for exotic atoms with short lifetimes in the ground state, such as positronium (a bound state of an electron and a positron), highly excited Rydberg states with longer lifetimes offer a potential solution to overcome the limitations to measurement precision imposed by short interrogation times. This project aims build on current initial setups at UCL to realise a full loop atom interferometer with Rydberg helium atoms for the first time, with a view to extending this to Rydberg positronium to investigate the behaviour of antimatter under gravity, and whether this differs from matter. The asymmetry between matter and antimatter in the Universe remains an open question in the standard model of particle physics, with quantum technologies providing new opportunities to address such fundamental physics questions.