Program Manager: LtCol John Lowell, Ph.D.
 The 2001 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded "for the achievement of Bose-Einstein condensation in dilute gases of alkali atoms, and for early fundamental studies of the properties of the condensates." A Bose-Einstein Condensate (or BEC) is a collection of dilute atoms that acts as a coherent macroscopic entity with a single wavefunction.
The Guided BEC Interferometry Program seeks to demonstrate coherent atom interferometers using BECs for precision measurements, such as rotation or magnetic field sensing. Atomic waveguides (which are analogous to optical fibers) will be developed to form fixed structures through which the atoms can travel. These waveguides are produced by a variety of means, including magnetic fields produced by carefully laid out conductors on microchips; improvements to BEC lifetimes and flux will allow devices to reach compelling sensitivity levels and enable atom interferometer-based measurement units. As part of this research, the Guided BEC Interferometry Program will drastically reduce the technical complexity required to produce BECs, eventually enabling their production in non-laboratory environments.
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