Atom interferometry aboard the International Space Station

Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) are excellent systems for quantum sensing applications like navigation, relativistic geodesy and tests of the universality of free fall. The sensitivity of most such atom interferometers increases quadratically with the interrogation time, which makes it beneficial to extend the free fall time. To accomplish this goal NASA has launched the Cold Atom Lab (CAL) [1,2] to the International Space Station enabling atom interferometers with BECs in orbit.

Here we report on a series of experiments performed on CAL, using different interferometer geometries to measure any residual magnetic or inertial forces acting on the atom cloud. Furthermore, we discuss current limitations as well as prospective future experiments on CAL. These results pave the way towards future precision measurements with atom interferometers in space.