Probing the spatial distribution of k-vectors in situ with Bose-Einstein condensates
Abstract
We present a novel method for mapping in situ the spatial distribution of photon momentum across a laser beam using a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) as a moving probe. By displacing the BEC, we measure the photon recoil by atom interferometry at different positions in the laser beam and thus reconstruct a two-dimensional map of the local intensity and effective dispersion of the k wave vector. Applied to a beam diffracted by a diaphragm, this method reveals a local extra recoil effect, which exceeds the magnitude h/c of the individual plane-waves over which the beam can be decomposed. This method offers a new way to precisely characterize wavefront distortions and to evaluate one of the major systematic bias sources in quantum sensors based on atom interferometry.
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