Normalized detection by using the blow-away signal in cold atom interferometry.

We propose and realize a simple normalized detection scheme for cold atom interferometry. The detection of population in final atomic states is normalized to the blow-away fluorescence during initial state preparation. In this way, the detection system and procedure are both simplified. The reduced sensitivity to amplitude noise in atom interference signal is experimentally verified. Both amplitude noise in atom source and short term phase noise of interference fringes are suppressed by more than a factor of 10 with normalized detection. (C) 2016 Optical Society of America