Abstract

We have considered a measurement scheme for atoms in which both position and momentum are simultaneously measured, subject to the constraints of the uncertainty principle. In this scheme we consider a beam of 3-level atoms in a V configuration; one transition is resonant with a standing cavity field, and the other is resonant with a traveling wave (see Figure 1.). After an atom has passed through these fields the phases of the fields are measured. If only the standing wave were used we could use this information to make a very precise determination of the position of the atom [1,2], and similarly with only a traveling wave we could determine the momentum very accurately [3]. The uncertainty principle tells us that we cannot measure both position and momentum simultaneously beyond a certain accuracy [4]. We describe how the competition between the two kinds of measurement processes enforces the uncertainty principle.

© 1996 IEEE