Multi-loop atomic Sagnac interferometry*

Inertial sensors based on matter-wave interference show great potential for navigation, geodesy, or fundamental physics. Similar to the Sagnac effect, their sensitivity to rotations increases with the area enclosed by the interferometer. In the case of light interferometers, the latter can be enlarged by forming multiple fibre loops. However, the equivalent for matter-wave interferometers remains an experimental challenge. This contribution presents a concept for a multi-loop atom interferometer with a scalable area formed by multiple light pulses. It exploits ultra-cold atomic ensembles combined with symmetric beam splitting and a relaunch mechanism. Due to its scalability it offers the perspective of reaching unprecedented sensitivities for rotations in compact sensor setups.