We report on a precision measurement of gravitational acceleration using ultracold strontium atoms confined in an amplitude-modulated vertical optical lattice. An uncertainty dg/g ~ 10^-7 is reached by measuring at the 5th harmonic of the Bloch frequency. The value obtained with this microscopic quantum system is consistent with the one measured with a classical gravimeter. Using lattice modulation to prepare the atomic sample, we also achieve high visibility of Bloch oscillations for ~20 s. These results can be of relevance for testing gravitational redshift and Newtonian law at micrometer scale.
N. Poli, F.Y. Wang, M.G. Tarallo, A. Alberti, M. Prevedelli, G.M. Tino (2011). Precision Measurement of Gravity with Cold Atoms in an Optical Lattice and Comparison with a Classical Gravimeter. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS, 106, 038501-1-038501-4 [10.1103/PhysRevLett.106.038501].
Precision Measurement of Gravity with Cold Atoms in an Optical Lattice and Comparison with a Classical Gravimeter
PREVEDELLI, MARCO;
2011
Abstract
We report on a precision measurement of gravitational acceleration using ultracold strontium atoms confined in an amplitude-modulated vertical optical lattice. An uncertainty dg/g ~ 10^-7 is reached by measuring at the 5th harmonic of the Bloch frequency. The value obtained with this microscopic quantum system is consistent with the one measured with a classical gravimeter. Using lattice modulation to prepare the atomic sample, we also achieve high visibility of Bloch oscillations for ~20 s. These results can be of relevance for testing gravitational redshift and Newtonian law at micrometer scale.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
