Atom interferometry with Bose–Einstein condensed atoms

Abstract

We assess the potential impact of Bose–Einstein condensed atomic sources for atom interferometry through experimental investigations of Bose–Einstein condensates confined in optical lattice potentials. We show that this simple experimental system can be used for measurements of acceleration and $\text{ℏ/m}$, and to produce squeezed many-atom quantum states. We discuss possible future applications of this system, which include production of Schrödinger cat states and Heisenberg-limited interferometry. We show how the lattice system may provide a conceptually independent route to many-body degeneracy in bosonic systems as compared with Bose–Einstein condensation.