Advances in and Prospects for Matter Wave Interferometry

Dear Colleagues,

Matter wave interference is one of the defining signatures of quantum mechanics. The field of matter wave interferometry is currently experiencing a surge of advances. For example, atom interferometers have been developed that extend over macroscopic scales in space and in time, and molecular interferometry has been realized with masses in excess of 25,000 amu—corresponding to molecules consisting of more than 2,000 atoms. Ongoing research is progressing toward implementing matter wave interferometry with even more massive objects, such as nanoparticles and Schroedinger Cat states consisting of millions of atoms. Matter wave interferometers can serve as valuable tools for tests of fundamental physics, such as studies of quantum foundations, measurements of fundamental constants, searches for dark matter and dark energy, searches for new interactions beyond the Standard Model, and tests of the equivalence principle and other aspects of gravity. Moreover, multiple efforts are underway to explore experimentally the potential of matter wave interferometers to detect gravitational waves in currently unexplored frequency ranges. At the same time, matter interferometers are advancing as practical tools and sensors outside the laboratory. Portable atom interferometers, for instance, have been demonstrated to be highly capable gravitational and inertial sensors. Atom interferometry of Bose-Einstein condensates for arbitrary pattern nanolithography in two and three dimensions is also being investigated. The continued development of novel techniques in areas including matter wave optics, entanglement-enhanced matter wave interferometry, cooling and trapping, and detection of interference signals will play a critical role in enhancing the performance of matter wave interferometers. Efforts to identify new applications for matter wave interferometry and better understand and mitigate sources of systematic errors are also crucial. This Special Issue will include original and review articles on matter wave interferometry, with a focus on recent advances, future prospects, and challenges.

Dr. Tim Kovachy
Prof. Dr. Selim Shahriar
Dr. Andrew Geraci
Guest Editors

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