Atom interferometry with trapped fermi gases.
We realize an interferometer with an atomic Fermi gas trapped in an optical lattice under the influence of gravity. The single-particle interference between the eigenstates of the lattice results in macroscopic Bloch oscillations of the sample. The absence of interactions between fermions allows a time-resolved study of many periods of the oscillations, leading to a sensitive determination of the acceleration of gravity. The experiment proves the superiority of noninteracting fermions with respect to bosons for precision interferometry and offers a way for the measurement of forces with microscopic spatial resolution.
Roati
G
G
LENS and Dipartimento di Fisica, University of Florence, and INFM, Via Nello Carrara 1, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy.
de Mirandes
E
E
Ferlaino
F
F
Ott
H
H
Modugno
G
G
Inguscio
M
M