Atom interferometry using temporal Talbot effect on a Bose-Einstein condensate

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates atom interferometry using the temporal Talbot effect in a Bose-Einstein condensate, revealing limitations due to initial momentum distribution affecting sensitivity and potential quantum computing applications.

Contribution

It experimentally investigates a uniform pulse sequence for atom interference via the temporal matter-wave Talbot effect in a BEC, highlighting performance limits and implications for quantum algorithms.

Findings

Multi-path interference with momentum differences up to ±14 ħk achieved

Finite initial momentum distribution limits interferometer sensitivity

Resonance degradation impacts quantum walk implementations

Abstract

We experimentally investigate a uniform pulse sequence in which atom interference is realized using the temporal matter-wave Talbot effect in an atom-optic kicked rotor system. Multi-path interference is obtained in asymmetric configuration with momentum differences up to $\pm$14 $\hbar k$, by virtue of Talbot resonance. We experimentally confirm the theoretical limit placed on the performance of this interferometer by the finite momentum distribution of the initial ensemble consisting of a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC). This limitation on sensitivity, occurring due to the degradation of resonant dynamics is also important in the realization of a one-dimensional continuous-time quantum walk in the implementation of quantum search algorithms.