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Updated: Feb 4, 2026

The Generation of Higher-order Laguerre-Gauss Optical Beams for High-precision Interferometry

The Generation of Higher-order Laguerre-Gauss Optical Beams for High-precision Interferometry

Published on: August 12, 2013

Three-Path Atom Interferometry with Large Momentum Separation.

Benjamin Plotkin-Swing¹, Daniel Gochnauer¹, Katherine E McAlpine¹

¹Department of Physics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA.

Physical Review Letters

|October 13, 2018

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

We scaled up a symmetric interferometer for large momentum separation, achieving high phase stability for precision measurements. This advancement enables new tests of fundamental physics, including the fine-structure constant and quantum electrodynamics.

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Area of Science:

Atomic physics
Quantum optics
Interferometry

Background:

Atom interferometers are sensitive tools for precision measurements.
Scaling interferometers to large momentum separations is crucial for enhanced sensitivity.
Previous free-space interferometers faced limitations in phase stability at large separations.

Purpose of the Study:

To demonstrate the scale-up of a symmetric three-path contrast interferometer to large momentum separation.
To achieve high phase stability exceeding previous free-space interferometer performance.
To explore the applicability of this method for fundamental constant measurements and quantum electrodynamics tests.

Main Methods:

Utilized a symmetric three-path contrast interferometer geometry.
Employed a Bose-Einstein condensate as the atom source.
Suppressed undesired diffraction phases by optimizing atom optics parameters.
Achieved large momentum separation up to 112 photon recoil momenta.

Main Results:

Demonstrated robust scalability of the interferometer to large momentum separations.
Observed phase stability exceeding the performance of earlier free-space interferometers.
Interferometer phase evolution showed quadratic dependence on the number of recoils.
Reached a high phase evolution rate of 7×10^7 rad/s.

Conclusions:

The developed symmetric interferometer offers robust scalability and high phase stability.
This approach is suitable for precision measurements, including the fine-structure constant.
The method provides a new avenue for testing fundamental physics, such as quantum electrodynamics (QED).