Ramsey Spectroscopy in Cold Atoms

• Grant number: 25/11303-1
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: October 01, 2025
• End date: September 30, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Physics - Atomic and Molecular Physics
• Principal Investigator: Daniel Varela Magalhães
• Grantee: Daniel Varela Magalhães
• Host Institution: Instituto de Física de São Carlos (IFSC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• City of the host institution: São Carlos
• Associated research grant: 13/07276-1 - CEPOF - Optics and Photonic Research Center, AP.CEPID
• Associated scholarship(s): 25/21768-1 - Ramsey Spectroscopy in Cold Atoms, BP.IC

Abstract

Cold atoms have been used for decades for high-resolution measurements in time metrology. Atomic clocks use Ramsey Separated Oscillatory Field Spectroscopy to measure time extremely accurately. This approach is used in Primary Frequency Standards called Atomic Fountains. This experimental apparatus is responsible for one of the smallest uncertainties in the measurement of the second standard. This evolution is attributed to the narrow distribution of velocities of cold atoms during the Atomic Interrogation process of the Clock Transition.Studying the processes of interaction and expansion of atoms with the interrogation field is essential for a more refined characterization of the sample and the effects resulting from its environmental situation, such as the temperature and velocity of the atomic cloud during cold collisions. In this regard, the spectral signature of atomic interrogation with separated fields, called Ramsey Fringe, can become a valuable tool for this in-depth study. In this sense, developing models capable of transforming them into diagnostic tools then becomes extremely useful for establishing improved techniques for interrogating atoms, using the laboratory we have in the group as an experimentation tool. (AU)