Bloch oscillations of ultracold atoms: a tool for a metrological determination of h/m Rb.
We use Bloch oscillations in a horizontal moving standing wave to transfer a large number of photon recoils to atoms with a high efficiency (99.5% per cycle). By measuring the photon recoil of 87Rb, using velocity-selective Raman transitions to select a subrecoil velocity class and to measure the final accelerated velocity class, we have determined h/m(Rb) with a relative precision of 0.4 ppm. To exploit the high momentum transfer efficiency of our method, we are developing a vertical standing wave setup. This will allow us to measure h/m(Rb) better than 10(-8) and hence the fine structure constant alpha with an uncertainty close to the most accurate value coming from the (g-2) determination.
Battesti
Rémy
R
Laboratoire Kastler Brossel, Ecole Normale Supérieure, CNRS-UMR 8552, UPMC, 4 place Jussieu, 75252 Paris Cedex 05, France.
Cladé
Pierre
P
Guellati-Khélifa
Saïda
S
Schwob
Catherine
C
Grémaud
Benoît
B
Nez
François
F
Julien
Lucile
L
Biraben
François
F