Coherence loss and revivals in atomic interferometry: a quantum-recoil analysis

Abstract

The coherence effects induced by external photons coupled to matter waves inside a Mach–Zehnder three-grating interferometer are analyzed. Alternatively to atom–photon entanglement scenarios, the model considered here only relies on the atomic wavefunction and the momentum shift induced in it by the photon scattering events. A functional dependence is thus found between the observables, namely the fringe visibility and the phase shift, and the transversal momentum transfer distribution. Good quantitative agreement is found when comparing the results obtained from our model with the experimental data.