Asymmetric double-well potential for single atom interferometry

TL;DR

This paper models a single-atom interferometer in an asymmetric double-well potential, using a Bloch vector approach to optimize sensitivity and compare with numerical simulations.

Contribution

It introduces a Bloch vector model for analyzing asymmetric double-well interferometry and compares it with detailed numerical simulations.

Findings

The Bloch model accurately describes the dynamical evolution.

Asymmetry affects the excited state population and interferometer sensitivity.

Optimal splitting and recombination times enhance measurement precision.

Abstract

We consider the evolution of a single-atom wavefunction in a time-dependent double-well interferometer in the presence of a spatially asymmetric potential. We examine a case where a single trapping potential is split into an asymmetric double well and then recombined again. The interferometer involves a measurement of the first excited state population as a sensitive measure of the asymmetric potential. Based on a two-mode approximation a Bloch vector model provides a simple and satisfactory description of the dynamical evolution. We discuss the roles of adiabaticity and asymmetry in the double-well interferometer. The Bloch model allows us to account for the effects of asymmetry on the excited state population throughout the interferometric process and to choose the appropriate splitting, holding and recombination periods in order to maximize the output signal. We also compare the outcomes of the Bloch vector model with the results of numerical simulations of the multi-state time-dependent Schroedinger equation.