ATOMIC INTERFEROMETRY GYROSCOPES, ACCELEROMETERS AND GRAVITY GRADIOMETERS

摘要

The invention is a neutral atom (and/or molecule) matter-wave interferometer (and/or set of interferometers) thatcan be used as a ultra-sensitive inertial and/or gravitysensor. A pair of interferometers with different energiesand/or masses can perform simultaneous independentmeasurements of rotation and acceleration.Interferometerswith paths that follow a figure-eight pattern yield agravitational gradiometer. Diffraction gratings areemployed as beam splitters. Such gratings may consist ofapertures (S1,S2,G1,G2,G3,G4,G5,G6) in a sheet of solidmaterial, near-resonant standing-wave laser beams(97,99,101), or crystal faces (179). Path curvature dueto acceleration and rotation is canceled by magneticand/or electric field gradients that produce an effectivelevitation of slow atoms. A feedback system thatmaintains an interferometer phase null is employed withits error signal yielding the inertial effect signals.