Single-bounce quantum gravimeter to measure the free-fall of anti-hydrogen

TL;DR

This paper proposes a quantum gravimeter using a single-bounce atom interferometry technique to precisely measure free-fall acceleration, particularly for anti-hydrogen, enhancing accuracy in tests of fundamental physics.

Contribution

It introduces a novel quantum sensor design that improves measurement accuracy for free-fall experiments with exotic atomic species like anti-hydrogen.

Findings

Simulations show improved measurement accuracy over existing methods.

The proposed method is robust and suitable for rare or exotic atoms.

Potential application in testing the equivalence principle with anti-hydrogen.

Abstract

We propose an innovative concept for a quantum gravimeter, where atoms prepared in a Heisenberg-limited state perform a single bounce on a mirror followed by a free fall. This quantum gravimeter produces a simple and robust interference pattern which should allow to measure the free-fall acceleration of atoms. We estimate the expected accuracy of the measurement in the GBAR experiment, which aims at testing the equivalence principle on anti-hydrogen at CERN antimatter facilities. Using simulations and estimation techniques based on Cramer-Rao law and Fisher information, we show that the new quantum sensor improves the expected accuracy of the measurement. The proposal opens the door to free fall measurements on rare or exotic atomic species, especially in situations where experimental time or detection events are limited by intrinsic physical reasons.