Atom interferometry with trapped Fermi gases

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates a gravity-sensitive atom interferometer using trapped Fermi gases in an optical lattice, showing advantages over bosons for precision measurements and potential for microscopic force detection.

Contribution

It introduces a novel interferometry technique with non-interacting fermions in an optical lattice, enabling high-resolution gravity measurements.

Findings

Fermionic interferometer exhibits macroscopic Bloch oscillations.

Non-interacting fermions outperform bosons in precision interferometry.

Potential for microscopic force measurement demonstrated.

Abstract

We realize an interferometer with an atomic Fermi gas trapped in an optical lattice under the influence of gravity. The single-particle interference between the eigenstates of the lattice results in macroscopic Bloch oscillations of the sample. The absence of interactions between fermions allows a time-resolved study of many periods of the oscillations, leading to a sensitive determination of the acceleration of gravity. The experiment proves the superiorness of non interacting fermions with respect to bosons for precision interferometry, and offers a way for the measurement of forces with microscopic spatial resolution.