US 12,451,267 B2
Tractor atom interferometry
Georg A. Raithel, Ann Arbor, MI (US); and Alisher Duspayev, Ann Arbor, MI (US)
Assigned to The Regents of The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (US)
Filed by THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN, Ann Arbor, MI (US)
Filed on Aug. 19, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/891,673.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/235,209, filed on Aug. 20, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2023/0056032 A1, Feb. 23, 2023
Int. Cl. G21K 1/00 (2006.01); G01C 19/58 (2006.01); G01P 15/093 (2006.01)
CPC G21K 1/006 (2013.01) [G01C 19/58 (2013.01); G01P 15/093 (2013.01)] 10 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for measuring motion of a moving body using an atom interferometer, comprising:
positioning at least one atom in a cavity of the atom interferometer, where the atom interferometer is attached to the moving body;
splitting the at least one atom into a pair of wave-function components;
guiding the pair of wave-function components along respective paths in the cavity such that the pair of wave-function components are confined spatially along the respective paths in all degrees of freedom and without interruption;
coherently recombining the pair of wave-function components into the at least one atom; and
measuring a property of the at least one atom after the pair of wave-function components have been recombined into the at least one atom, where the property of the at least one atom is indicative of motion of the moving body.