Stern-Gerlach interferometry in three dimensions: The role of transverse fields
Phys. Rev. A 113, 053311 – Published 13 May, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/gl6g-vz6m
Abstract
We show that superficially similar implementations of Stern-Gerlach Interferometers (SGIs) are expected to differ dramatically in their sensitivity to fields transverse to the primary acceleration direction. These transverse fields unavoidably accompany any static magnetic or electric field gradients and have been shown by Comparat [Phys. Rev. A 101, 023606 (2020)] to limit the precision application of SGIs. As a concrete example, we consider SGIs with ultracold rubidium Rydberg atoms accelerated by spatially varying electric fields. We find that the deleterious effect of transverse fields imply that only some implementations (sequences of field gradients and internal state swaps) may exhibit fringes with high visibility.
