Prospects for atom interferometry

Atom interferometers were first realized ten years ago, and since then have evolved from beautiful demonstrations of quantum physics into instruments at the leading edge of precision measurement. In this article we trace the development of atom interferometry, looking at how the physical principles have been put into practice to achieve ground-breaking experiments. We also discuss new atom optical techniques that are becoming available and antici pate the ways in which the consequent improvements will provide new opportu nities in metrology and the study of fundamental physics.