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。目前正在开发利用量子干涉效应的超精密陀螺仪和加速度计。这些传感器为未来导航系统的精度提供了一个台阶，将为改进当前的地质测量方法提供一种手段，并可以进行基础物理测试。为了获得这些设备的全部好处，量子传感器，像当前的经典系统一样，必须对齐，以便在测量中最小化系统或交叉耦合误差。经典惯性传感器通常要经过一系列校准测试，测量并记录任何系统误差。错误的主要负面影响可以通过在软件中纠正它们产生的数据来消除。这种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尺度变化和静态偏差，以及不同传感器之间的非正交性（交叉耦合误差）。本项目将探索经典多位置测试的推广，通过使用显式量子输入状态的惯性传感器。初步分析表明，使用纠缠量子态作为光学陀螺仪[1]标定的一部分具有优势。先前的工作已经证明，惯性传感器的校准确实存在量子优势，但这还没有得到充分的探索。该项目将开发优化这种量子优势的方法，并将其应用于目前正在开发的实用量子传感器。主要目标是通过改进校准程序提供这些量子惯性传感器精度的定量改进。项目团队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。b[1]P. Kok， J. Dunningham， J. F. Ralph，“纠缠在校准光学量子陀螺仪中的作用”，物理学。中国农业科学，95,01226 /1-10（2017）。

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 minimisesystematic 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 multipositiontests. 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).