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Main Authors: Gaudout, Samuel, Si-Ahmed, Rayan, Debavelaere, Clément, Door, Menno, Cladé, Pierre, Guellati-Khelifa, Saïda
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.19157
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author Gaudout, Samuel
Si-Ahmed, Rayan
Debavelaere, Clément
Door, Menno
Cladé, Pierre
Guellati-Khelifa, Saïda
author_facet Gaudout, Samuel
Si-Ahmed, Rayan
Debavelaere, Clément
Door, Menno
Cladé, Pierre
Guellati-Khelifa, Saïda
contents We present a novel method for mapping \textit{in situ} the spatial distribution of photon momentum across a laser beam using a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) as a moving probe. By displacing the BEC, we measure the photon recoil by atom interferometry at different positions in the laser beam and thus reconstruct a two-dimensional map of the local intensity and effective dispersion of the $k$ wave vector. Applied to a beam diffracted by a diaphragm, this method reveals a local \textit{extra recoil} effect, which exceeds the magnitude $hν/c$ of the individual plane-waves over which the beam can be decomposed. This method offers a new way to precisely characterize wavefront distortions and to evaluate one of the major systematic bias sources in quantum sensors based on atom interferometry.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2507_19157
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Probing the spatial distribution of k-vectors in situ with Bose-Einstein condensates
Gaudout, Samuel
Si-Ahmed, Rayan
Debavelaere, Clément
Door, Menno
Cladé, Pierre
Guellati-Khelifa, Saïda
Atomic Physics
Quantum Physics
We present a novel method for mapping \textit{in situ} the spatial distribution of photon momentum across a laser beam using a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) as a moving probe. By displacing the BEC, we measure the photon recoil by atom interferometry at different positions in the laser beam and thus reconstruct a two-dimensional map of the local intensity and effective dispersion of the $k$ wave vector. Applied to a beam diffracted by a diaphragm, this method reveals a local \textit{extra recoil} effect, which exceeds the magnitude $hν/c$ of the individual plane-waves over which the beam can be decomposed. This method offers a new way to precisely characterize wavefront distortions and to evaluate one of the major systematic bias sources in quantum sensors based on atom interferometry.
title Probing the spatial distribution of k-vectors in situ with Bose-Einstein condensates
topic Atomic Physics
Quantum Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.19157