Mach-Zehnder interferometer for in-situ characterization of atom traps

TL;DR

This paper presents a Mach-Zehnder interferometer-based method for in-situ characterization of weakly anharmonic atom traps, enabling precise measurement of trap frequencies and anharmonicity bounds crucial for quantum technologies.

Contribution

It introduces a novel interferometric technique for in-situ trap characterization, improving accuracy in modeling weakly anharmonic potentials used in quantum experiments.

Findings

Accurately determines trap frequency.

Establishes upper bounds on anharmonicity.

Demonstrates effectiveness through simulation.

Abstract

Manipulating cold atoms in traps is a key tool for numerous realizations of quantum simulators and quantum sensors. They require accurate modeling and characterization of the underlying trapping potentials. We introduce a technique based on the Mach-Zehnder interferometer for in-situ characterization of weakly anharmonic potentials. By simulating the interferometer in an optical dipole trap, we can accurately determine its trap frequency and upper bounds onto anharmonicity magnitudes.