Point Source Atom Interferometry with Sr-88

This poster will describe our experimental apparatus for point source atom interferometry using Sr-88 atoms. Point source atom interferometry can be used to map information about the wavefront profile of a beam onto a spatial interference pattern in an atomic cloud. It can thus be used to mitigate systematic errors such as wavefront aberrations in precision measurement experiments. Our apparatus starts with an atom source with an inbuilt Zeeman slower and 2D MOT, which directs cooled atoms into a 3D MOT. This MOT uses light at 461 nm and targets the 1S0 - 1P1 transition. Repumper beams at 707 nm and 679 nm reduce leakage. The apparatus also includes a high power, on resonance fluorescence beam and a push beam. The atoms then see counter-propagating interferometry beams at 689 nm. An FPGA-based pulsing system with computer control performs fast and precise timing on the magnetic field, camera exposure, laser beams, and their AOM drivers. The magnetic field can be rapidly shut off with the help of our switching circuit. We will present initial atom interferometry results from this apparatus.