原子干涉仪已被用于对各种物理量进行高精度测量。它们与光干涉仪类似,后者的基本组成包括:用于操纵光波的面镜、分束器等。在原子干涉仪中,上述附件的功能代之由激光脉冲完成,即用脉冲激光操控原子的物质波。激光脉冲将物质波一分为二,让两分支波沿不同的路径前进,而后两者重新组合,产生干涉图样。现在,来自斯坦福大学的Mark Kasevich和他的同事,利用原子干涉仪测量了潮汐力对单个粒子物质波的影响。潮汐力 Atomic interferometers have been used to make high-precision measurements of various physical quantities. They are similar to optical interferometers, whose basic components include: mirrors for manipulating light waves, beamsplitters, and the like. In the atomic interferometer, the function of the above attachment is replaced by a laser pulse, which uses a pulsed laser to manipulate atomic matter waves. The laser pulse splits the material wave into two, allowing the two branches to travel along different paths, and the two recombine to create the interference pattern. Now, Mark Kasevich from Stanford University and his colleagues used atomic interferometry to measure the effect of tidal forces on the wave of individual particles. Tidal force