Radiant energy – Electrically neutral molecular or atomic beam devices and...
Patent
1987-10-26
1989-10-17
Anderson, Bruce C.
Radiant energy
Electrically neutral molecular or atomic beam devices and...
73517A, 73514, H05H 300, G01P 1500
Patent
active
048749427
ABSTRACT:
The invention is a neutral atom (and/or molecule) matter-wave interferometer (and/or set of interferometers) that can be used as an inertial sensor with a sensitivity exceeding that of conventional mechanical sensors and multiple circuit optical interferometers (including ring lasers) by many powers of ten. An interferometer in which matter-wave propagation beam paths enclose a finite area will sense rotations via the Sagnac effect. One with the paths displaced from each other will sense acceleration plus gravity. The matter-wave energy and mass dependence of the phase shifts that are due to rotation and acceleration are different. Thus a pair of interferometers with different energies and/or masses can perform simultaneous independent measurements of rotation and acceleration. Interferometers with paths that follow a figure-eight pattern yield a gravitational gradiometer. Laser cooling and slowing of a beam of neutral atoms provides a low energy nearly monochromatic source. One form of the invention comprises a sequence of slits and/or diffraction gratings operation in high order. Gratings consist of slits in a solid material or near-resonant standing-wave laser beams. Path curvature due to acceleration and rotation is canceled by magnetic and/or electric field gradients that produce an effective levitation of slow atoms. A feedback system that maintains an interferometer phase null is employed with its error signal yielding the inertial effect signals. Magnetic fields are used for producing matter-wave phase shifts. One form of detector images the Moire pattern formed in the light emitted from the resonance fluorescence of a standing matter-wave fringe pattern and a standing-wave laser beam.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3761721 (1973-09-01), Altshuler et al.
patent: 4152072 (1979-05-01), Hutchings
patent: 4315693 (1982-02-01), Walker
Raskin et al., Physical Review, vol. 179, No. 3, Mar. 15, 1969, pp. 712-721.
Leavitt et al., American Journal of Physics, vol. 37, No. 9, Sep. 1969, pp. 905-912.
Werner et al., Physical Review Letters, vol. 42, No. 17, Apr. 23, 1979, pp. 1103-1106.
Anderson Bruce C.
Berman Jack I.
Sartorio Henry P.
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