Work

Balancing quasi-Bragg regime and velocity selectivity in quantum-enhanced atom interferometry

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Spin squeezing in atomic ensembles enables atom interferometry with sensitivities below the shot-noise limit, but the associated entanglement is highly susceptible to loss, making imperfections in atom optics a central limitation. Bragg diffraction is an established technique for driving transitions between atomic momentum states and enables large-momentum transfer through higher-order diffraction while preserving the internal state. However, it is intrinsically limited by two competing mechanisms: Short light pulses induce parasitic diffraction into off-resonant orders beyond an effective two-level description, while long pulses face velocity selectivity. We derive analytical expressions in a second-quantized framework for the atom optics and phase uncertainty of a Mach-Zehnder interferometer including these effects. We demonstrate that sub-shot-noise scaling is achieved only in a regime of intermediate pulse duration. Furthermore, we show that deleterious effects of higher-order diffraction are partially mitigated by optimizing the input quantum state.

Source: Physical Review Research

DOI: 10.1103/wr69-9hr5

Authors: Christian M. Karres, Daniel Derr, Enno Giese

Institution: Technische Universität Darmstadt

Language: English

Topic: Cold Atom Physics and Bose-Einstein Condensates

Subfield: Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics

Field: Physics and Astronomy

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,625

Funders: Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Klimaschutz, Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt, Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Energie