Guest: Dr. Christopher Overstreet
Postdoctoral Scholar, Stanford University
https://profiles.stanford.edu/christopher-overstreet?tab=bio

Host: Dr. Duncan O’Dell

Title: Precision Measurement with Atom Interferometry

Abstract:

Precise measurements of atomic, molecular, and optical systems are opening a new experimental window into fundamental physics.  The high sensitivity of light-pulse atom interferometry, which uses lasers to separate and interfere atomic wave packets, makes it particularly well-suited for such measurements.  In this talk, I will discuss three experiments performed with the 10 meter atom interferometer at Stanford: a test of the equivalence principle, an observation of a quantum system in curved spacetime, and a measurement of a gravitational Aharonov-Bohm effect.  I will also survey other applications of precise atom interferometry and discuss near-term prospects for the field.