A mobile high-precision absolute gravimeter based on atom interferometry

We present the new mobile and robust gravimeter GAIN (Gravimetric Atom Interferometer), which is based on interfering ensembles of laser cooled 87Rb atoms in an atomic fountain configuration. With a targeted accuracy of a few parts in 1010 for the measurement of local gravity, g, this instrument should offer about an order of magnitude improvement in performance over the best currently available absolute gravimeters. Together with the capability to perform measurements directly at sites of geophysical interest, this will open up the possibility for a number of interesting applications.

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