Rydberg atom interferometry for antimatter gravity

The quantum behaviour of atoms can be exploited to perform matter wave interferometry, whereby single atoms are prepared in a superposition of two different states and then spatially separated to follow two different classical paths before being recombined to interfere. Atom interferometry has applications including the sensing and measurement of fields or accelerations, for example due to gravity. It is often performed with ground state atoms. However for exotic atoms with short lifetimes in the ground state, such as positronium (a bound state of an electron and a positron), highly excited Rydberg states with longer lifetimes offer a potential solution to overcome the limitations to measurement precision imposed by short interrogation times. This project aims build on current initial setups at UCL to realise a full loop atom interferometer with Rydberg helium atoms for the first time, with a view to extending this to Rydberg positronium to investigate the behaviour of antimatter under gravity, and whether this differs from matter. The asymmetry between matter and antimatter in the Universe remains an open question in the standard model of particle physics, with quantum technologies providing new opportunities to address such fundamental physics questions.

The first and most important impact of our Centre will be through the cross-disciplinary technical training it provides for its students. Through this training, they will have not only skills to control and exploit quantum physics in new ways, but also the background in device engineering and information science to bring these ideas to implementation and to seek out new applications. Our commercial and governmental partners tell us how important these skills are in the growing number of people they are hiring in the field of quantum technologies. In the longer term we expect our graduates to be prominent in the development of new technologies and their application to communication, information processing, and measurement science in leading university and government laboratories as well as in commercial research and development. In the shorter term we expect them to be carrying out doctoral research of the highest international quality.

Second, impact will also flow from the students' approach to enterprise and technology transfer. From the outset they will be encouraged to think about the value of intellectual property, the opportunity it provides, and the fundraising needed to support research and development. As students with this mindset come to play a prominent part in university and commercial laboratories, their common background will help to break down the traditional barriers between these sectors and deliver the promise of quantum technologies for the benefit of the UK and world economies. Concrete actions to accelerate this impact will include entrepreneurship training and an annual CDT industry day.

Third, through the participation it nucleates in the training programme and in students' research, the Centre will bring together a community of partners from industry and government laboratories. In the short term this will facilitate new collaborations and networks involving the partners and the students; in the long term it will help to ensure that the supply of highly skilled people from the CDT reaches the parts of industry that need them most.

Finally, the CDT will have a strong impact on the quantum technologies training landscape in the UK. The Centre will organise training events and workshops open to all doctoral researchers to attend. We will also collaborate with CDTs in the quantum technologies and related research areas to coordinate our efforts and maximise our joint impact. Working in consort, these CDTs will form a vibrant national training network benefitting the entire UK doctoral research community.