Exploring the Quantum Advantage in the Calibration of Inertial Sensors

惯性传感器构成了所有现代导航系统的支柱。利用量子干涉效应的超精密陀螺仪和加速计目前正在开发中。这些传感器使未来导航系统的精度发生了阶段性的变化，并将提供一种手段来改进当前的地质调查方法，并可以进行基础物理测试。为了充分利用这类设备，量子传感器就像当前的经典系统一样，必须对齐，以便将测量中的系统误差或交叉耦合误差降至最低。传统的惯性传感器通常要经过一系列的校准测试，任何系统误差都会被测量和记录下来。然后，可以通过纠正错误在软件中生成的数据来消除错误的主要负面影响。这样的校准测试需要在一系列方向上应用一系列已知的旋转，称为多位置测试。它们用于校正单个传感器的比例变化和静态偏差，以及不同传感器之间的非正交性(交叉耦合误差)。这个项目将通过使用惯性传感器的显式量子输入态来探索经典多位置测试的一般性。初步分析表明，使用纠缠量子态作为光学陀螺校准的一部分是有优势的[1]。这项以前的工作已经证明，在惯性传感器的校准中确实存在量子优势，但这一点还没有得到充分的探索。该项目将开发优化这一量子优势的方法，并将它们应用于目前正在开发的实用量子传感器。其主要目标是通过改进的校准程序对这些量子惯性传感器的精度进行量化改进。项目小组将受益于与谢菲尔德大学(P.Kok)和苏塞克斯大学(J.Dunningham)的现有合作，并将与量子传感和计量中心的实验伙伴开展合作。[1]P.Kok，J.Dunningham，J.F.Ralph，《纠缠在校准光学量子陀螺仪中的作用》，Phys.A 95修订版，012326/1-10(2017年)。

Inertial sensors form the backbone of all modern navigation systems. Ultra-precise gyroscopes and accelerometers that utilise quantum interference effects are currently being developed. These sensors offer a step change in the accuracy of future navigation systems and will provide a means to improve on current geological surveying methods and can allow tests of fundamental physics. To obtain the full benefit of such devices quantum sensors, like current classical systems, must be aligned so as to minimise systematic or cross-coupling errors in their measurements. Classical inertial sensors are normally subjected to a series of calibration tests, where any systematic errors are measured and recorded. The main negative effects of the errors can then be removed by correcting the data that they generate in software. Such calibration tests, require a series of known rotations to be applied in a series of orientations and are known as multiposition tests. They are used to correct for scale variations and static biases for single sensors, and non-orthogonality between different sensors (cross-coupling errors). This project will explore the generalisation of classical multi-position tests through the use of explicitly quantum input states for the inertial sensors. Preliminary analysis has shown that there can be advantages in using entangled quantum states as part of the calibration of optical gyroscopes [1]. This previous work has demonstrated that a quantum advantage does exist in the calibration of inertial sensors, but this has not been fully explored. This project will develop methods to optimise this quantum advantage and apply them to the practical quantum sensors currently being developed. The principle objective is to provide a quantitative improvement of the accuracy of these quantum inertial sensors through improved calibration procedures. The project team will benefit from existing collaborations with the University of Sheffield (P. Kok) and the University of Sussex (J. Dunningham) and will develop collaborations with experimental partners in the Quantum Sensing and Metrology Hub. [1] P. Kok, J. Dunningham, J. F. Ralph, 'The role of entanglement in calibrating optical quantum gyroscopes', Phys. Rev. A 95, 012326/1-10 (2017).