2. Cold atom applications

The main applications arising from the use of cold atoms are linked to atomic interferometry [12] , whether in atomic clocks or inertial sensors. The main advantages of cold atoms in both cases are slowing down and cooling. Reducing the average velocity of the atoms leads to an increase in interaction time. Cooling the atoms increases the contrast of the interference bangs. Finally, very precise control of the average speed and dispersion of the atomic source enables us to control the scale factor and some of the systematic effects, linked in particular to the Doppler effect.