
When
Where
Title
Quantum metrology and sensing with an atomic spatial superposition state coherent for one minute
Abstract
Exceptional levels of quantum control and coherence are necessary for performing quantum metrology and sensing with the utmost precision. Atom interferometers are powerful in both probing fundamental physics and everyday sensing, but the use of atoms in free fall has so far limited their measurement times to a few seconds. I will describe how we realize interferometers with atoms suspended in an optical lattice for an unprecedented 70 seconds. These atom optical methods are particularly well suited for probing localized potentials. I will show how, for the first time, we (1) optimize the gravitational sensitivity of the lattice interferometer and (2) use a system of signal inversions and switches to suppress and quantify systematic effects. This enables us to measure the attraction of a miniature source mass with record accuracy of 6.2 nm/s2, less than a billionth of Earth’s gravity and four times as good as the best similar measurements with freely falling atoms. This performance demonstrates the advantages of lattice interferometry in fundamental physics measurements. I will then show how the lattice atom interferometer can overcome the limits of current atomic gravimeters for applications in the field. Finally, I will discuss current progress towards next-generation lattice atom interferometers and their applications in searching for new physics and quantum inertial sensing in the real world.
Bio
Cristian Panda is an Assistant Professor at the Wyant College of Optical Sciences (OSC) at the University of Arizona. He received his undergraduate degree in Physics from Reed College with his thesis titled “The role of delay in the isochronal chaos synchronization of delay-coupled opto-electronic oscillators”. He then earned his A.M. and Ph.D. at Harvard University searching for physics beyond the Standard Model as part of the ACME experiment, where he measured the electron’s electric dipole moment with record precision enabled by the huge electric field available in the thorium monoxide molecule. From 2019 to 2024, he was a postdoctoral scholar at the University of California Berkeley, where he developed a lattice atom interferometer with quantum coherence beyond the minute scale. Dr. Panda is an APS DAMOP Deborah Jin Thesis Prize Finalist, 2021, and has received the Purcell Fellowship, Harvard University, 2012-2013. He has authored over 20 peer-reviewed publications in journals such as Nature, Science, Physical Review, Applied Physics Letters, Journal of Physics and others. His community involvement includes multiple organization memberships, acting as a reviewer for a wide range of academic journals, as well as mentoring and teaching students outside of the classroom at all levels, including undergraduate, high school and middle school.
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