Progress toward development of a Strontium atom interferometer for performing short-distance tests of gravity

Following recent developments in light-pulse atom interferometry (AI) [1], the ability to perform sufficiently sensitive measurements of gravitational effects have opened a window into exploring novel fundamental physics. For example, investigation of the gravitational forces at the 0.1-1 meter distance scale using AI [2] has the potential to reveal violations of the gravitational inverse square law, observe the gravitational Aharonov-Bohm effect, and test theories of gravity-induced quantum decoherence; these research topics are the focus of the atomic fountain (AF) described in this work.

In this talk, I will provide recent technical updates on the construction of a 2 meter baseline AF using ultracold Strontium (Sr). First, I will review the architecture of the laser system required to generate a magneto-optical trap and perform light-pulse AI using the Bragg transition near the 461 nm transition in Sr. Second, I will review the ultrahigh vacuum system of the AF and its integration with various custom magnets. Finally, I will conclude by discussing ongoing work on the design of a high-resolution imaging system which performs measurements of gravitational phase shifts resulting from AI.

[1] Kovachy et al. Nature 528, 530 (2015)

[2] Asenbaum et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 118, 183602 (2017)