Mapping Vertical Gravity and High-order Derivatives with a Compact Atom Interferometer

Quantum inertial sensors based on atom interferometry are rapidly evolving towards compact, mobile designs for applications beyond the lab environment. This presentation will focus on our compact and scalable quantum gravimeter, capable of simultaneously mapping vertical gravity, gravity gradients, and curvature, enabling high sensitivity to changes in mass density. Our compact vacuum system and single diode-laser system create optimal conditions for preparing and controlling atomic clouds. We demonstrate a back-to-back pyramidal magneto-optical trap mirror that enables a single laser beam to trap three vertically separated cold atomic clouds. We apply a sequence of two-photon Raman laser pulses to perform three simultaneous Mach-Zehnder interferometers at three different heights, producing our gravity signals. The Raman laser’s modulation depth and frequency detunings are characterized and optimized to maximize fringe contrast by calculating AC Stark shifts, the effective Rabi frequency, and single-photon scattering rates.