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Science

Atom Gyroscopes

Published Nov 9, 2007• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We terrestrials tend to get our bearings from compass readings, tracking the stars, or more recently in a digital format from global positioning systems. For the likes of satellites, orbiting telescopes, and probes navigating through deep space, the systems of choice to point the way are based on gyroscopes aligned with a distant reference star. To study predictions of general relativity such as frame dragging, the effects of which would be seen as tugs on the rotation axis of the gyros, high sensitivity of the gyroscopes to rotation is a prerequisite. In this context, atom interferometers can surpass mechanical gyroscopes or optical interferometers by orders of magnitude. Wu et al. report on the development of a cold-atom interferometer in which a matter wave of Rb atoms is split in two, with both halves sent around opposite paths repeatedly and brought together again to produce an interference pattern. The phase shift is sensitive to the rotation of the interferometer. — ISO

DOI
10.1126/science.318.5852.889a

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We terrestrials tend to get our bearings from compass readings, tracking the stars, or more recently in a digital format from global positioning systems. For the likes of satellites, orbiting telescopes, and probes navigating through deep space, the systems of choice to point the way are based on gyroscopes aligned with a distant reference star. To study predictions of general relativity such as frame dragging, the effects of which would be seen as tugs on the rotation axis of the gyros, high sensitivity of the gyroscopes to rotation is a prerequisite. In this context, atom interferometers can surpass mechanical gyroscopes or optical interferometers by orders of magnitude. Wu et al. report on the development of a cold-atom interferometer in which a matter wave of Rb atoms is split in two, with both halves sent around opposite paths repeatedly and brought together again to produce an interference pattern. The phase shift is sensitive to the rotation of the interferometer. — ISO
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Precise positioning and motion tracking are enabling development of key technologies in numerous fields of research and applications such as control, navigation, stabilization, and positioning systems for robotics, medical-imaging applications, virtual reality, computer games, and many more. While rotation sensing can be based on both mechanical and optical effects, optical gyroscopes provide the highest sensitivity and accuracy. Although the details may vary depending on the specific implementation, all optical rotation sensors exploit the Sagnac effect,1 i.e., the interference pattern resulting from the different phase shifts of waves propagating in a circular path along and opposite the direction of rotation. The classical Sagnac phase shift is determined solely by the angular velocity, the optical frequency, and the area enclosed by the closed-loop optical path, and completely independent of the medium’s other properties such as the index of refraction and its dispersion properties.2 This century-old result has been the subject of ongoing debate for several decades, both because of its fundamental nature and because it inherently limits the feasibility of attaining highly sensitive miniaturized rotation sensors. Specifically, it implies that the only ways to enhance the sensitivity and accuracy of optical gyroscopes are to either increase the optical frequency or enlarge the gyro’s area. In practice, both approaches are limited. Recent studies have pointed out the advantages of exploiting the Sagnac effect, generated by electronic resonances, in slow-3 and fast-light4 media (i.e., in which the group velocity is substantially smaller or larger than the speed of light) for fabrication of ultrasensitive optical gyroscopes. However, material properties based on slow/fast-light media suffer from inherent limitations and drawbacks. In particular, such systems are bulky, lossy, require very low temperatures, and are limited to specific wavelengths according to the material’s electronic andoptical properties. Instead, we have been focusing on photonic-resonance-based structures,5, 6 taking advantage of their flexibility, compact dimensions, and excellent optical Figure 1. Schematic of a coupled-resonator optical waveguide (CROW).
The Sagnac effect, manifest in the phase shift of a rotating interferometer proportional to its physical area and to the rotation rate of the frame, plays a crucial role in modern physics being generalized to any kind of interferometer. However, as compared to light, the accurate experimental validation of the Sagnac effect for matter-waves remains challenging. We report the accurate measurement of the Sagnac phase shift, induced by the Earth’s rotation, using a large-area cold atom interferometer. We probe the atomic Sagnac phase shift along the two orthogonal horizontal axes in various orientation of the sensor with respect to geographic north and obtain an agreement with the theoretical prediction at the 20 ppm level, improving by twenty five-fold over the previous achievements for matter waves. Our results underline the universality of the Sagnac effect and open new horizons for testing other fundamental theories, as well as for a number of technological applications in seismology, geodesy and inertial navigation systems.