The work done during the project has regarded the study and development of new methods and technology toward novel atom interferometers based on ultracold cadmium and strontium atoms, with direct application to fundamental physics tests, such as the test of the equivalence principle with quantum objects, and towards the observation of quantum time dilation.
The work regarded not only pure experimental activities but also detailed theoretical studies. All the results obtained within this specific action and connected to it, have been reported in scientific articles published in peer-reviewed journals and presented as posters or oral presentations at international conferences.
The first realization and detailed analysis of novel, single-photon clock atom interferometers as a precise gravimeter and gradiometer was done. Seminal novel concepts for high-power laser sources operating at the wavelength of interest in the infrared, visible, and UV were introduced.
At the same time, the study of the potential use of non-classical sources (spin-squeezed) in atom interferometry has also been pursued, novel scheme to produce and use squeezed momentum states to surpass the projection noise limit in Bragg interferometers.
Interestingly, fruitful collaborations with other ERC projects, sharing a common technology platform, have also been established. During the action, 14 scientific works have been published in peer-reviewed journals and conference proceedings with high impact. Other publications, directly connected to the action, are also expected in the next months. Moreover, more than 15 contributions to conferences have been presented as oral or poster presentations at international conferences.
