"Testing gravity with cold atom interferometry" Speaker Guglielmo M. Tino, host C. Galbiati

Date
Oct 21, 2015, 3:00 pm4:00 pm
Location
Jadwin A06

Details

Event Description
The ability to control the quantum degrees of freedom of atoms using laser light opened the way to precision measurements of fundamental physical quantities. After an introduction to the methods allowing us to cool a cloud of atoms to temperatures close to the absolute zero, I will de-scribe experiments for precision tests of gravitational physics using new quantum devices based on ultracold atoms, namely, atom interferometers. I will report on the measurement of the gravitational constant G with a Rb Raman interferometer [1] and on experiments based on Bloch oscillations of Sr atoms confined in an optical lattice for gravity measurements at small spatial scales and for testing the Einstein equivalence principle [2]. I will discuss prospects to use atom interferometers as new detectors for gravitational waves [3] and for experiments in space. [1] G. Rosi, F. Sorrentino, L. Cacciapuoti, M. Prevedelli, G. M. Tino, Precision Measurement of the Newtonian Gravitational Constant Using Cold Atoms, Nature 510, 518 (2014). [2] M. G. Tarallo, T. Mazzoni, N. Poli, D. V. Sutyrin, X. Zhang, G. M. Tino, Test of Einstein Equivalence Principle for 0-Spin and Half-Integer-Spin Atoms: Search for Spin-Gravity Coupling Effects, Phys. Rev. Lett. 113, 023005 (2014). [3] G. M. Tino, F. Vetrano, Is it possible to detect gravitational waves with atom interferometers?, Class. Quantum Grav. 24, 2167 (2007). Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia and LENS Laboratory, Università di Firenze Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Firenze Email: [email protected] Group web page: http://coldatoms.lens.unifi.it