Physical Society Colloquium

Measuring Gravity by Dropping Atoms

Xuejian Wu

Department of Physics
Rutgers University

Exploiting the nature of quantum phenomena, quantum technologies are developing rapidly towards computing, communicating, and sensing. Quantum inertial sensors based on light-pulse atom interferometry are powerful tools for fundamental physics, metrology, navigation, geoscience, and civil engineering. By contrast to classical sensors, atom interferometers use photon momentum to coherently split and recombine matter waves. Since laser wavelength defines photon momentum with high precision, atom interferometers are accurate and are thus ideal sensors for precision measurements. In this talk, I will present mobile, versatile, and sensitive atom interferometers for multiaxis acceleration and rotation measurements and mobile gravimetry in the field. With simplicity and sensitivity, our technology paves the way for bringing quantum sensors to field applications.