Calculation of the efficiencies and phase shifts associated with an adiabatic transfer atom interferometer

We have performed calculations to assess the phase shifts and efficiency of an adiabatic transfer process using orthogonal linearly and circularly polarized laser beams of the same frequency. By using this type of adiabatic transfer as the ‘optical’ elements of an atom interferometer, atoms can be kept in a magnetically insensitive state for the majority of the time, thus reducing the phase shifts associated with magnetic fields. We have looked at the effect of different pulse shapes, family momenta and the relative peak intensities of the laser beams. We find that the best compromise between transfer efficiency and accumulated phase shift occurs when the linearly polarized laser beam has a lower peak intensity than that of the circular beam.