Sensing the performance enhancement via asymmetric gain optimization in the atom-light hybrid interferometer

The SU (1,1)-type atom-light hybrid interferometer (SALHI) is a kind of interferometer that is sensitive to both the optical phase and atomic phase. However, the loss has been an unavoidable problem in practical applications and greatly limits the use of interferometers. Visibility is an important parameter to evaluate the performance of interferometers. Here, we experimentally demonstrate the mitigating effect of the loss on visibility of the SALHI via asymmetric gain optimization, where the maximum threshold of loss to visibility close to 100% is increased. Furthermore, we theoretically find that the optimal condition for the largest visibility is the same as that for the enhancement of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) to the best value with the existence of the losses using the intensity detection, indicating that visibility can act as an experimental operational criterion for SNR improvement in practical applications. Improvement of the interference visibility means achievement of SNR enhancement. Our results provide a significant foundation for practical application of the SALHI in radar and ranging measurements. (C) 2022 Optica Publishing Group under the terms of the Optica Open Access Publishing Agreement