Rejection of wavefront aberrations in an atomic gradiometer.

Area of Science:

• Physics
• Quantum Sensing
• Metrology

Background:

• Inertial sensors using atom interferometry are limited by laser beam distortions.
• These distortions cause phase shifts and non-uniform matter-light interactions, affecting sensor performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify the impact of laser beam aberrations on cold atom gradiometers.
• To evaluate the resulting deviations in gravitational acceleration and gradient measurements.
• To determine surface quality requirements for optics in atom interferometry sensors.

Main Methods:

• Numerical simulations of laser beam aberrations in a cold atom gradiometer.
• Analytical calculations to quantify parasitic phase shifts and non-homogeneous couplings.
• Analysis of common-mode rejection limitations in a differential configuration.

Main Results:

• Laser beam aberrations, initial asymmetry, and atomic source expansion limit phase noise rejection.
• Deviations in gravitational acceleration and gradient are within current experimental capabilities.
• The study provides a framework for evaluating optical surface quality based on sensor baseline.

Conclusions:

• Laser beam quality is critical for high-precision atom interferometry sensors.
• The findings inform the design and optimization of cold atom gradiometers.
• The methodology can be applied to various atom interferometer geometries and sensor types.