Dynamical aspects of atom interferometry in an optical lattice in proximity of a surface

Abstract

The efficiency of an atomic interferometer in proximity of a surface is discussed. We first study which is the best choice of frequency for a pulse acting on internal atomic transitions in the same well. Then considering the modification of atomic energy levels in vicinity of the surface, we propose the application of two simultaneous Raman lasers and numerically study the associated interference fringes. We show that the efficiency of the interferometric scheme is limited by the existence of a residual phase depending on the atomic path. We propose a symmetric scheme in order to avoid these contributions. We finally show that the suggested modifications make the contrast of the interference fringes close to 1 in any configuration, both close and far from the surface and with one or more initially populated wells.