Abstract. We propose a scheme for testing the weak equivalence principle (universality of free-fall (UFF)) using an atom-interferometric measurement of the local differential acceleration between two atomic species with a large mass ratio as test masses. An apparatus in free fall can be used to track atomic free-fall trajectories over large distances. We show how the differential acceleration can be extracted from the interferometric signal using Bayesian statistical estimation, even in the case of a large mass and laser wavelength difference. We show that this statistical estimation method does not suffer from acceleration noise of the platform and does not require repeatable experimental conditions. We specialize our discussion to a dual potassium/rubidium interferometer and extend our protocol with other atomic mixtures. Finally, we discuss the performance of the UFF test developed for the free-fall (zero-gravity) airplane in the ICE project (http://www.ice-space.fr).

Received 19 August 2009
Published 5 November 2009