Prototype cryofree ultra low temperature environment for quantum enhanced sensors

在室温下，通常很难看到量子力学的微妙效应，因为它们被热扰动的噪声所掩盖。例如，电路中的电子不断地被它们所穿过的材料中的原子推挤。然而，如果电路被冷却到接近绝对零度的温度，几乎273摄氏度，那么碰撞就会减少，有时量子效应会显现出来。在这个项目中，我们将建立一个用于检测微小磁场的原型仪器，其灵敏度来自于通过冷却传感器揭示的量子效应。现有的能达到这个温度的冰箱都很大，很贵，而且很复杂。我们的仪器将更小、更便宜、更容易操作。该项目结合了牛津仪器公司的一个团队，他们是提供低温环境和先进低温工程的专家，还有一个来自兰开斯特大学的团队，他们擅长利用这些低温来操纵和控制电子电路的量子行为。我们将共同建立一个原型，以展示如何低温量子技术可以用于真实的传感产品。

It is usually very difficult to see the subtle effects of quantum mechanics at room temperature because they arehidden by the noise of thermal agitation. For example, electrons in a circuit are constantly jostled by the atomsin the material they are moving through. However, if the circuit is cooled close to absolute zero temperature,almost 273C, then the jostling is reduced and sometimes quantum effects can shine through. In this projectwe will build a prototype instrument for detecting tiny magnetic fields, where the sensitivity comes fromquantum effects that are revealed by cooling the sensor. Existing refrigerators that can reach this temperatureare large, expensive and complicated. Our instrument will be smaller, cheaper and easier to operate. Theproject combines a team from Oxford Instruments, experts in providing low temperatures enviroments withadvanced cryogenic engineering, with a team from Lancaster University who are skilled in exploiting these lowtemperatures to manipulate and control the quantum behaviour of electronic circuits. Together we will build aprototype to demonstrate how low temperature quantum technologies can be used in a real sensing product.