Raman Spectroscopy using a continuous beam from a 2D MOT

摘要

Atom interferometers consist of light pulses designed to create coherent superpositions of atomic states ( "π/2" or "beam splitting" pulses) and that coherently interchange states ('V or "mirror" pulses). In this article, we investigate the effects of imperfect pulses for a geometry specific to our apparatus. Atoms emerge from a 2-dimensional magneto-optical trap (2D MOT) in a continuous beam and cross continuous laser beams that drive stimulated Raman transitions. We use the atoms' transit time through the laser field as the "pulse" time. We describe the impact of various effects on the contrast of the Rabi cycling, specifically the longitudinal velocity spread, the laser beam diameter and the spacing between the laser beams.