Quantum gas mixtures and dual-species atom interferometry in space

Ethan R. Elliott (), David C. Aveline, Nicholas P. Bigelow, Patrick Boegel, Sofia Botsi, Eric Charron, José P. D’Incao, Peter Engels, Timothé Estrampes, Naceur Gaaloul, James R. Kellogg, James M. Kohel, Norman E. Lay, Nathan Lundblad, Matthias Meister, Maren E. Mossman, Gabriel Müller, Holger Müller, Kamal Oudrhiri, Leah E. Phillips, Annie Pichery, Ernst M. Rasel, Charles A. Sackett, Matteo Sbroscia, Wolfgang P. Schleich, Robert J. Thompson and Jason R. Williams ()
Additional contact information
Ethan R. Elliott: California Institute of Technology
David C. Aveline: California Institute of Technology
Nicholas P. Bigelow: University of Rochester
Patrick Boegel: Ulm University
Sofia Botsi: California Institute of Technology
Eric Charron: Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS
José P. D’Incao: University of Colorado
Peter Engels: Washington State University
Timothé Estrampes: Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS
Naceur Gaaloul: Leibniz University Hannover
James R. Kellogg: California Institute of Technology
James M. Kohel: California Institute of Technology
Norman E. Lay: California Institute of Technology
Nathan Lundblad: Bates College
Matthias Meister: Institute of Quantum Technologies
Maren E. Mossman: Washington State University
Gabriel Müller: Leibniz University Hannover
Holger Müller: University of California
Kamal Oudrhiri: California Institute of Technology
Leah E. Phillips: California Institute of Technology
Annie Pichery: Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS
Ernst M. Rasel: Leibniz University Hannover
Charles A. Sackett: University of Virginia
Matteo Sbroscia: California Institute of Technology
Wolfgang P. Schleich: Ulm University
Robert J. Thompson: California Institute of Technology
Jason R. Williams: California Institute of Technology

Nature, 2023, vol. 623, issue 7987, 502-508

Abstract: Abstract The capability to reach ultracold atomic temperatures in compact instruments has recently been extended into space1,2. Ultracold temperatures amplify quantum effects, whereas free fall allows further cooling and longer interactions time with gravity—the final force without a quantum description. On Earth, these devices have produced macroscopic quantum phenomena such as Bose–Einstein condensates (BECs), superfluidity, and strongly interacting quantum gases3. Terrestrial quantum sensors interfering the superposition of two ultracold atomic isotopes have tested the universality of free fall (UFF), a core tenet of Einstein’s classical gravitational theory, at the 10−12 level4. In space, cooling the elements needed to explore the rich physics of strong interactions or perform quantum tests of the UFF has remained elusive. Here, using upgraded hardware of the multiuser Cold Atom Lab (CAL) instrument aboard the International Space Station (ISS), we report, to our knowledge, the first simultaneous production of a dual-species BEC in space (formed from 87Rb and 41K), observation of interspecies interactions, as well as the production of 39K ultracold gases. Operating a single laser at a ‘magic wavelength’ at which Rabi rates of simultaneously applied Bragg pulses are equal, we have further achieved the first spaceborne demonstration of simultaneous atom interferometry with two atomic species (87Rb and 41K). These results are an important step towards quantum tests of UFF in space and will allow scientists to investigate aspects of few-body physics, quantum chemistry and fundamental physics in new regimes without the perturbing asymmetry of gravity.

Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06645-w

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