KEYWORDS: Chemical species, Interferometers, Solar system, Solar energy, Rockets, Interferometry, General relativity, Environmental sensing, Climatology
Dark energy constitutes ~70% of the universe, which explains the observed accelerated expansion of the universe. While little is known about the nature of dark energy, it is conjectured that it is a new scalar field that interacts normal matter at the cosmological scale. Recently, cold atom experiments in laboratory have contributed significantly on the constraints of chameleon and symmetron parameters. These experiments are currently limited by the knowledge of the Newtonian gravity of the test masses, and eventually by the uncertainty of the gravitational constant G.
In this talk, we will present a joint project between JPL and Leibniz University Hannover, in which atom interferometers will be implemented in the 4-second microgravity environment in the Einstein-Elevator facility at Hannover, Germany. We will illustrate the measurement concept for constraining dark energy models, and report the progress of the joint effort.
It is acknowledged that the sensitivity and accuracy achievable by atom-interferometric quantum sensors will have significantly impact many research areas. While the sensitivity of an atomic sensor scales quadratically to the interrogation time, making spaceborne quantum sensors particularly interesting, the measurement noise is limited by the quantum projection noise. The state of the art ultracold atom source for microgravity features 1E6 Rb atoms via Bose-Einstein Condensation (BEC).
In this talk, we will present a feasibility study towards 1E8 Cs atoms below 1 nK for space applications. While Cs BEC is very challenging to generate, the choice of Cs versus Rb will be briefly discussed, in the scenario of quantum gravity gradiometer for mass change studies of Earth. Instead of BEC, direct laser cooling techniques are identified as an alternative and viable approach for high flux cold atom source. We will review laser cooling techniques and the identified path forward.
Access to the requested content is limited to institutions that have purchased or subscribe to SPIE eBooks.
You are receiving this notice because your organization may not have SPIE eBooks access.*
*Shibboleth/Open Athens users─please
sign in
to access your institution's subscriptions.
To obtain this item, you may purchase the complete book in print or electronic format on
SPIE.org.
INSTITUTIONAL Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.
PERSONAL Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.