Atom Interferometry Based on Separated Light Fields

This chapter provides an overview of the atom interferometry based on separated light fields. Less than a decade after the first atom interferometers were demonstrated, a wide variety of different types of atom interferometers has been brought into operation. It is believed that the class of the atom interferometers based on separated light fields has proven themselves to be versatile, flexible devices, well understood theoretically and particularly well suited to measurements of fundamental effects that improve understanding of quantum mechanics. Measurements of atomic constants and properties also profit from the high sensitivity and signal-to-noise ratio of interferometric measurements with the Borde interferometer. Among the more mature applications is the use of Borde interferometry for an optical frequency standard, with perspectives for limits of relative precision and accuracy in the range of 10−15. This chapter discusses the four-beam Borde interferometer and the pulsed interferometer. It also discusses precision determination of physical quantities and applications of atom interferometry in optical frequency standards.