Gravity sensing: cold atom trap onboard a 6U CubeSat
Gravity sensing: cold atom trap onboard a 6U CubeSat
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DOI：
10.1007/s12567-020-00326-4
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发表时间：
2020-08-04
影响因子：
1.4
通讯作者：
Carpenter, Lewis
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Devani, Diviya;Maddox, Stephen;Carpenter, Lewis
“冷原子”可用作测量加速度的超灵敏传感器，并且能够绘制地球表面重力强度的变化图。它们可能会对现有的天基重力传感能力带来显著益处。太空中的重力传感器已经用于许多地球观测应用，包括监测极地冰量、洋流和海平面。冷原子传感器能够实现更高分辨率的测量，从而可以监测更小的水源以及发现目前无法探测到的新的地下自然资源。冷原子技术的应用受到技术成熟度低的限制。Teledyne e2v及其合作伙伴正在通过冷原子太空有效载荷（CASPA）项目来解决这一成熟度差距问题，该项目由英国创新署和工程与物理科学研究委员会（EPSRC）资助，伯明翰大学作为科学牵头单位，参与方还包括XCAM、克莱德航天公司、Covesion、Gooch & Housego以及南安普顿大学。通过CASPA项目，该联盟已经建造了一颗6U（大致尺寸：100×200×300毫米）的立方星（CubeSat）并进行了振动测试，该立方星能够将原子激光冷却到100微开尔文左右，作为未来地球观测任务中重力传感器的前身。
"Cold atoms" can be used as ultra-sensitive sensors for measuring accelerations and are capable of mapping changes in the strength of gravity across the surface of the Earth. They could offer significant benefits to existing space based gravity sensing capabilities. Gravity sensors in space are already used for many Earth observation applications including monitoring polar ice mass, ocean currents and sea level. Cold atom sensors could enable higher resolution measurements which would allow monitoring of smaller water sources and discovery of new underground natural resources which are currently undetectable. The adoption of cold atom technology is constrained by low technology readiness level (TRL). Teledyne e2v and its partners are addressing this maturity gap through project Cold Atom Space PAyload (CASPA) which is an Innovate UK and Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) funded project, involving the University of Birmingham as science lead, XCAM, Clyde Space, Covesion, Gooch & Housego, and the University of Southampton. Through the CASPA project the consortium have built and vibration tested a 6U (approximate dimensions: 100 x 200 x 300 mm) cube Satellite (CubeSat) that is capable of laser cooling atoms down to 100's of micro kelvin, as a pre-cursor to gravity sensors for future Earth observation missions.