Franck Pereira Dos Santos

The influence of transverse motion within an atomic gravimeter

Limits on the long-term stability and accuracy of a second generation cold atom gravimeter are investigated. We demonstrate a measurement protocol based on four interleaved measurement configurations, which allows rejection of most of the systematic effects, but not those related to Coriolis acceleration and wave-front distortions. Both are related to the transverse motion of the atomic cloud. Carrying out measurements with opposite orientations with respect to the Earths rotation vector direction allows us to separate the effects and correct for the Coriolis shift. Finally, measurements at different atomic temperatures are presented and analyzed. In particular, we show the difficulty of extrapolating these measurements to zero temperature, which is required in order to correct for the bias due to wave-front distortions.

Micro-gravity investigations for the LNE watt balance project

We report on a micro-gravity survey of the laboratories where the LNEs watt balance experiment is being conducted, including the characterization of the Scintrex CG-5 relative gravimeter used for this study. The results of the survey are compared with a model of the gravity field generated by the local mass distribution. The ultimate goal is to transfer an absolute measurement of g from one room to another with minimal uncertainty.

The European Comparison of Absolute Gravimeters 2011 (ECAG-2011) in Walferdange, Luxembourg: results and recommendations

We present the results of the third European Comparison of Absolute Gravimeters held in Walferdange, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, in November 2011. Twenty-two gravimeters from both metrological and non-metrological institutes are compared. For the first time, corrections for the laser beam diffraction and the self-attraction of the gravimeters are implemented. The gravity observations are also corrected for geophysical gravity changes that occurred during the comparison using the observations of a superconducting gravimeter. We show that these corrections improve the degree of equivalence between the gravimeters. We present the results for two different combinations of data. In the first one, we use only the observations from the metrological institutes. In the second solution, we include all the data from both metrological and non-metrological institutes. Those solutions are then compared with the official result of the comparison published previously and based on the observations of the metrological institutes and the gravity differences at the different sites as measured by non-metrological institutes. Overall, the absolute gravity meters agree with one another with a standard deviation of 3.1 µGal. Finally, the results of this comparison are linked to previous ones. We conclude with some important recommendations for future comparisons.

CCM.G-K2 key comparison

In November 2013 an International Key Comparison, CCM.G-K2, was organized in the Underground Laboratory for Geodynamics in Walferdange. The comparison has assembled 25 participants coming from 19 countries and four different continents. The comparison was divided into two parts: the key comparison that included 10 NMIs or DIs, and the pilot study including all participants. The global result given by the pilot study confirms that all instruments are absolutely coherent to each other. The results obtained for the key comparison confirm a good agreement between the NMI instruments. Main text. To reach the main text of this paper, click on Final Report. Note that this text is that which appears in Appendix B of the BIPM key comparison database kcdb.bipm.org/. The final report has been peer-reviewed and approved for publication by CCM, according to the provisions of the CIPM Mutual Recognition Arrangement (CIPM MRA).

Final report of key comparison CCM.G-K1: International comparison of absolute gravimeters ICAG2009

The International Comparison of Absolute Gravimeters 2009 (ICAG2009) was carried out in September 2009 at the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM). The ICAG2009 and its data processing were performed in accordance with the agreed Technical Protocol which was approved by the Steering Committee. The pilot laboratory (BIPM) evaluated the final results of the key comparison from the measurements made at the BIPM in the framework of ICAG2009. A pilot study run in parallel allowed evaluation of the offsets for absolute gravimeters from institutes not fulfilling the requirements for participating in the key comparison. The gravity values at the five stations, and the offsets for each absolute gravimeter, were obtained by a weighted least squares fit. The results indicate that all participating gravimeters are consistent within their expanded uncertainties. Main text. To reach the main text of this paper, click on Final Report. Note that this text is that which appears in Appendix B of the BIPM key comparison database kcdb.bipm.org/. The final report has been peer-reviewed and approved for publication by the CCM, according to the provisions of the CIPM Mutual Recognition Arrangement (CIPM MRA).

Final report of the regional key comparison EURAMET.M.G-K1: European Comparison of Absolute Gravimeters ECAG-2011

During November 2011 a EURAMET key comparison of absolute gravimeters was organized in the Underground Laboratory for Geodynamics in Walferdange, Luxemburg. The comparison assembled 22 participants coming from 16 countries and four different continents. The comparison was divided into two parts: a key comparison that included six National Metrology Institutes or Designated Institutes, and a pilot study including all participants. The global result given by the pilot study confirms that all instruments are absolutely coherent with each other. The results obtained in the key comparison confirm a good agreement between the NMI instruments. Finally, a link to ICAG-2009 shows also that the NMI gravimeters are stable in time. Main text. To reach the main text of this paper, click on Final Report. Note that this text is that which appears in Appendix B of the BIPM key comparison database kcdb.bipm.org/. The final report has been peer-reviewed and approved for publication by the CCM, according to the provisions of the CIPM Mutual Recognition Arrangement (CIPM MRA).

The theory of quantum levitators

We develop a unified theory for clocks and gravimeters using the interferences of multiple atomic waves put in levitation by traveling light pulses. Inspired by optical methods, we identify a propagation invariant, which enables us to analytically derive the wave function of the sample scattering on the light pulse sequence. A complete characterization of the device sensitivity with respect to frequency or acceleration measurements is obtained. These results agree with previous numerical simulations and confirm the conjecture of sensitivity improvement through multiple atomic wave interferences. A realistic experimental implementation for such a clock architecture is discussed.

Application of lasers to ultra-cold atoms and molecules

Abstract In this review, we discuss the impact of the development of lasers on ultra-cold atoms and molecules and their applications. After a brief historical review of laser cooling and Bose–Einstein condensation, we present important applications of ultra-cold atoms, including time and frequency metrology, atom interferometry and inertial sensors, atom lasers, simulation of condensed matter systems, production and study of strongly correlated systems, and production of ultra-cold molecules.

Active Control of Laser Wavefronts in Atom Interferometers

Wavefront aberrations are today the main contribution in the inaccuracy budget of best cold atom interferometers [1, 2], based on laser beam splitters, and constitute an important limit for their long-term stability [1]. They prevent from exploiting the full potential of these atom interferometers. In this work, we report on the active control of laser wavefronts for atom interferometry and demonstrate in a proof-of-principle experiment the compensation of their aberrations using, for the first time, a deformable mirror in a cold atom inertial sensor.

Effective velocity distribution in an atom gravimeter: effect of the convolution with the response of the detection

We present here a detailed study of the influence of the transverse motion of the atoms in a free-fall gravimeter. By implementing Raman selection in the horizontal directions at the beginning of the atoms free fall, we characterize the effective velocity distribution, ie the velocity distribution of the detected atom, as a function of the laser cooling and trapping parameters. In particular, we show that the response of the detection induces a pronounced asymetry of this effective velocity distribution that depends not only on the imbalance between molasses beams but also on the initial position of the displaced atomic sample. This convolution with the detection has a strong influence on the averaging of the bias due to Coriolis acceleration. The present study allows a fairly good understanding of results previously published in {\it Louchet-Chauvet et al., NJP 13, 065025 (2011)}, where the mean phase shift due to Coriolis acceleration was found to have a sign different from expected.