New Applications for Atom Interferometry using Material Nano-Gratings

原子干涉仪将被用作测量原子运动扰动的超灵敏工具。 激光束通常会吸引或排斥原子，但该项目将确定使原子不受干扰的光波长。 以前所未有的亚皮米精度测量这些所谓的“调谐波长”将作为复杂原子结构计算的基准测试。 这项工作将建立调谐波长的测量，作为一种新的方法来测试支持原子钟，量子计算和原子宇称违反研究所需的计算。更广泛的影响包括培训学生开拓原子光学的新应用。 原子光学是指通过反射、折射和衍射来操纵原子德布罗意布罗意波的艺术，就像普通光波一样。 该项目还教学生使用纳米技术，如纳米结构衍射光栅，作为原子的分束器。

An atom interferometer will be used as an ultra-sensitive tool for measuring perturbations to atomic motion. Laser beams usually attract or repel atoms, but this project will identify wavelengths of light that leave atoms unperturbed. Measuring these so-called "tune-out wavelengths" with unprecedented sub-picometer accuracy will serve as a benchmark test for sophisticated atomic structure calculations. This work will establish measurements of tune-out wavelengths as a novel way to test calculations that are needed to support atomic clocks, quantum computation, and atomic parity violation studies.The broader impacts include training students to pioneer new applications for atom optics. Atom optics refers to the art of manipulating atomic de Broglie waves, much like ordinary light waves, by reflection, refraction, and diffraction. This project also teaches students to use nanotechnology, such as nanostructure diffraction gratings that serve as beam splitters for atoms.