2025/05/05 by Christian Niehof, Niehof, Christian, Daniel Derr +3 · 3 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Atomic Physics (physics.atom-ph) #Cold Atom Physics and Bose-Einstein Condensates #FOS: Physical sciences #Mechanical and Optical Resonators #Quantum Mechanics and Applications #Quantum Physics (quant-ph)
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2505.02728
openalex publication_date 2025/05/05 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Light-pulse atom interferometers serve as tools for high-precision metrology and are targeting measurements of relativistic effects. This development is facilitated by extended interrogation times and large-momentum-transfer techniques generating quantum superpositions of both interferometer arms on large distances. Due to the finite speed of light, diffracting light pulses cannot interact simultaneously with both arms, inducing phase perturbations that compromise the accuracy of the sensor -- an effect that becomes progressively important as spatial separations increase. For a consistent framework, we develop a theory for finite-speed-of-light effects in atom interferometers alongside with other relativistic effects such as the mass defect. Our analysis shows that their magnitude depends crucially on the diffraction mechanism and the specific interferometer geometry. We demonstrate that the velocity of the atomic cloud at the mirror pulse of a Mach-Zehnder interferometer is less critical than the precise tuning of the lasers for resonant diffraction. Finally, we propose an experiment to test our predictions based on recoilless transitions and discuss mitigation strategies to reduce the bias in gravimetric applications.