Telecom laser used to study atoms
16 Dec 2019
New work from French metrologists could allow astronomers to learn much about the physical processes which play out in the depths of space
By tracking the motions of cold atom clouds, astronomers can learn much about the physical processes which play out in the depths of space. To make these measurements, researchers currently use instruments named 'cold atom inertial sensors' which, so far, have largely been operated inside the lab
The insights gathered by the team – from the French national metrology laboratory for time, frequency and gravimetry – could offer significant improvements in the accuracy of tests of fundamental physics, as well as assessments of the Earth's gravitational field. Studies in the past have made significant strides towards mobile laser systems for cold atom inertial sensing which are more compact, but these have not yet widely proven suitable for measurements in space.
This new design involves industrial lasers which are typically used for telecommunications; with their frequencies doubled. This setup benefited from a wide availability of components, as well as extensive previous research into the properties of the lasers. Through further testing in space-like environments, the team hopes that their system could soon allow researchers to probe various aspects of the physical environment of space in unprecedented levels of detail.
In their study, the researchers' updated laser system was implemented onto a ground-based atomic sensor at LNE-SYRTE. This enabled them to prove that their prototype was ready to carry out real experiments measuring the subtle variations in the Earth's gravitational field using matter wave interferometry techniques.
