# Bloch-bands Picture for Light Pulse Atom Diffraction and Interferometry

## TL;DR

This paper introduces a Bloch-bands approach to analyze light pulse atom diffraction and interferometry, providing accurate predictions and new methods for understanding atomic band structures in optical lattices.

## Contribution

The paper presents a novel Bloch-bands framework for analyzing pulsed optical diffraction and interferometry with ultracold atoms, validated by experiments with Bose-Einstein condensates.

## Key findings

- Accurate Rabi frequencies for diffraction pulses
- Effective analysis of diffraction phases in atom interferometry
- Method to determine atomic band structure via phase measurements

## Abstract

We apply a Bloch-bands approach to the analysis of pulsed optical standing wave diffractive elements in optics and interferometry with ultracold atoms. We verify our method by comparison to a series of experiments with Bose-Einstein condensates. The approach provides accurate Rabi frequencies for diffraction pulses and is particularly useful for the analysis and control of diffraction phases, an important systematic effect in precision atom interferometry. Utilizing this picture, we also demonstrate a method to determine atomic band structure in an optical lattice through a measurement of phase shifts in an atomic contrast interferometer.