Abstract

In recent years different types of atom interferometers have been realized [1]. They all have the common principle of coherently dividing an atomic de Broglie wave into two partial waves, preserving the definite phase relation between these two waves and coherently recombining them. As compared to light optics multiple-beam interferometers offer a very high sensitivity for the phases between neighbouring partial waves. Moreover multiple-beam interference is the fundamental principle of atomic resonators which have been frequently discussed in recent past.

© 1996 IEEE