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SUMMARY:A measurement of the atomic recoil frequency using a ground state 
 atom interferometer - Scott Beattie (York University)
DTSTART:20090601T143000Z
DTEND:20090601T160000Z
UID:TALK18668@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:6270
DESCRIPTION:We have developed a technique for measuring the atomic recoil 
 frequency using a\nsingle-state atom interferometer that utilizes a dilute
  cloud of laser-cooled\nrubidium atoms. An important motivation for these 
 measurements is that the\natomic recoil frequency can be used to infer the
  atomic fine structure\nconstant. The technique presented here involves ti
 me domain measurements\ncarried out with standing-wave laser fields that m
 anipulate atoms in the same\natomic ground state to interfere momentum sta
 tes. The resulting signal shape\ncan be modeled using coherence functions 
 and provides a robust approach for\nmeasuring the recoil frequency precise
 ly. We report measurements of atomic\nrecoil that are precise to ~ 1 part 
 per million. Recent improvements to the\ntime scale as well as prospects o
 f a ~10 part per billion measurement in the\nnear future will also be pres
 ented.\n
LOCATION:HEP Seminar Room (980) Rutherford Building\, Cavendish Laboratory
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