Inertial sensing with classical atomic beams

A different approach to high-precision measurement of rotation, acceleration, and gravitation is presented. Our Moiré deflectometer is based on geometric propagation of an atomic (or molecular) beam through a set of three identical gratings. Accelerated movements of the gratings with respect to the atomic beam result in a change of the total transmitted intensity. The device is nondispersive, i.e., atoms with a broad energy distribution and without collimation can be used. Furthermore, rotational and linear (gravitational) acceleration can easily be distinguished and measured simultaneously. In a certain sense the Moiré deflectometer represents the classical analog to a quantum-mechanical matter-wave interferometer. Experimental results on a test system demonstrate that its sensitivity to rotation and gravitation is already in the range of commercially used inertial sensors. It can be increased straightforwardly by orders of magnitude. © 1996 The American Physical Society.