Principles of tractor atom interferometry

Atom-interferometry techniques have been extensively explored for testing fundamental physics and precision measurements in gravity and inertial sensing. However, conventional approaches often suffer from inefficient interferometric-path closure, wave-packet dispersion, and large geometric footprints due to unconfined atomic propagation. To address these limitations, we proposed the tractor atom interferometer (TAI), which confines atoms in all directions using tractor potentials at all times. These potentials guide atoms along user-programmable paths, enabling robust operation. The 3D confinement of wave-packet components within TAI's tractor potential wells provides immunity to large background accelerations and rotations, ensuring high dynamic range and operational capability under extreme conditions. Key features of TAI include extended interferometric times for enhanced sensitivity and flexible design for canceling unwanted effects. This work provides an overview of proposed acceleration and rotation sensing modes for scalar and spinor TAI, along with a comprehensive analysis of TAI's robustness against various noise sources in the trapping potential.