Magic-wavelength matter-wave interferometry with optical clock states

Abstract

Optical clocks and atom interferometers provide complementary ways to measure time, motion and gravity. Combining these capabilities requires matter-wave beam splitters that manipulate different clock states in the same way, so that optical internal energy becomes a controlled degree of freedom rather than a source of systematic phase shifts. Here we realized a dual matter-wave interferometer operating simultaneously on the two states of the $^{88}$Sr optical clock transition, $^1S_0$ and $^3P_0$. The interferometer is driven by Bragg pulses at the 813 nm magic wavelength, for which the two clock states experience the same optical coupling strength. This realizes a common matter-wave beam splitter for atoms whose internal energies differ by an optical excitation. With a sensitivity of 30 mrad, our measurement is consistent with a zero differential phase shift between the two clock-state Mach-Zehnder interferometers, translating to an absence of state-dependent acceleration in free fall at the level of $10^{-5}$. We further used the same interferometer to measure state-dependent optical dipole forces and determine a tune-out wavelength of the metastable $^3P_0$ state to be 478.95(8) nm. These results establish magic-wavelength clock-state interferometry as a platform for differential force sensing, excited-state polarizability metrology and future quantum-clock tests of gravity.