Robust, Trapped Ultracold Atom Interferometry For Six-axis Inertial Sensing

基于量子技术的传感器有可能改变许多科学领域，包括环境传感、地球物理学和生态学；生物学和神经科学；引力波探测；以及空中、陆地、太空和海上的导航。量子惯性传感，即加速度和旋转的传感，其中一个关键的参与者是基于原子的传感，它利用了原子，像光一样，可以相互干扰的事实。就像人们可以使用传统的基于物质的光学来控制光波一样，人们可以使用基于光的光学来控制这些所谓的物质波，利用激光产生的光场来分裂、反射和重组原子云。这些原子系统的优势在于，基于原子的旋转传感器的灵敏度比基于光的旋转传感器高100亿倍。科学家们现在面临的挑战是，开发出强大的、可扩展的量子传感器，既能利用尽可能多的潜在灵敏度优势，又能在现实世界中轻松部署。在这个项目中，我们使用了振荡晶格干涉法（SLI），其中超冷原子被困在三维光学晶格中。这个光学晶格是六个激光相互干扰时产生的蛋盒状电位，三个维度中每个维度有两个。当晶格势被相位调制（即摇动）时，被捕获的原子就会像物质波一样分裂，以预定的方式移动，然后再聚集在一起，之后可以测量加速度或旋转信号。虽然SLI不像其他原子干涉技术那样成熟，但它的优点是原子在整个干涉序列中都被捕获。此外，可以修改振荡点阵干涉仪的物质波光学，以改变干涉仪对不同幅度和频率信号的灵敏度。此外，SLI很容易扩展到六轴惯性传感器，能够测量所有三个维度的旋转和加速度。这项工作的目标是使SLI走向成熟。也就是说，通过与我们的行业合作伙伴ColdQuanta， Inc .的密切合作，我们将展示一种基于SLI概念的强大的六轴惯性传感器，其缩放和灵敏度与当前最先进的传感器相当或更好。此外，我们将努力了解这种相对较新的技术的基本限制，以及它是否可以实现比以往任何设备更好的灵敏度缩放和鲁棒性。这将为开发一种实用的、可部署的、可扩展的基于原子的量子惯性传感器奠定基础，这种传感器有可能彻底改变导航领域。

Sensors based on quantum technology have the potential to transform a number of scientific fields, including environmental sensing, geophysics, and ecology; biology and neuroscience; gravitational wave detection; and air, land, space, and sea-based navigation. One of the key players in quantum inertial sensing, that is, the sensing of acceleration and rotation, is that of atom-based sensing, which makes use of the fact that atoms, like light, can interfere with themselves. Just like one can use conventional matter-based optics to control light waves, one can use light-based optics to control these so-called matter waves, using the light fields generated by lasers to split, reflect, and recombine clouds of atoms. The advantage with these atomic systems is that atom-based rotation sensors can be up to ten billion times more sensitive than their light-based counterparts. The challenge now, for scientists, is to develop robust, scalable quantum sensors that are able to use as much of the massive potential sensitivity advantage as possible while being easily deployable in real-world scenarios.In this project, we are using shaken lattice interferometry (SLI), where ultracold atoms are trapped in a three-dimensional optical lattice. This optical lattice is the egg-carton-like potential produced when six lasers interfere with one another, two from each of the three dimensions. When the lattice potential is phase modulated (i.e., shaken), the trapped atoms, acting as matter waves, are made to split apart, move in a predetermined way, then come back together, after which an acceleration or rotation signal can be measured.While SLI is less mature than other atom interferometry techniques, it has the advantage that the atoms remain trapped throughout the interferometry sequence. In addition, the matter-wave optics of the shaken lattice interferometer can be modified to change the sensitivity of the interferometer to signals of differing magnitude and frequency. Additionally, SLI is easily scalable to a six-axis inertial sensor capable of measuring rotation and acceleration along all three dimensions.The goal of this work is to bring SLI to maturity. That is, in close collaboration with our industry partners, ColdQuanta, Inc, we will demonstrate a robust six-axis inertial sensor based on the concept of SLI with scaling and sensitivity on par with or better than the current state-of-the-art. In addition, we will work to understand the fundamental limits of this relatively new technology, as well as whether or not it can achieve sensitivity scaling and robustness that is better than any previous device. This will lay the foundation for the development of a practical, deployable, and scalable atom-based quantum inertial sensor that has the potential to revolutionise the field of navigation.