Abstract : Gyroscopes find wide application in everyday life, from navigation to rotation sensors in hand-held devices and automobiles. In addition, they can be used as inertial sensors to guide unnamed vehicles and to integrate Global Positioning Devices. Despite several advantages, including ease of fabrication, that have allowed conventional micro electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) gyroscopes to gain ubiquitous usage, they suffer from drifts after a few minutes of operation, making them unattractive for the most advanced applications. Other systems have different limitations, in particular the required large volumes.
Abstract : Gyroscopes find wide application in everyday life, from navigation to rotation sensors in hand-held devices and automobiles. In addition, they can be used as inertial sensors to guide unnamed vehicles and to integrate Global Positioning Devices. Despite several advantages, including ease of fabrication, that have allowed conventional micro electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) gyroscopes to gain ubiquitous usage, they suffer from drifts after a few minutes of operation, making them unattractive for the most advanced applications. Other systems have different limitations, in particular the required large volumes.
Global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) are critical to our daily lives and underpin numerous sectors in-cluding transport, finance, and defence. The estimated financial impact of GNSS failure for the UK is over £1 bn per day [1]. In areas where GNSS cannot be used, inertial navigation provides an alternative to accurately position vehicles. For many applications, the drift in the classical accelerometers and gyroscopes that underpin inertial navigation systems limits the position accuracy that can be achieved.
Abstract With the rapid development of micro‐nano fabrication technology, micro‐optical gyroscope technology has shown tremendous potential in integration, miniaturization, and sensitivity. The micro‐optical gyroscope is closely related to the performance of the gyroscopic system, which is realized by the light‐matter interaction and resonance enhancement. Currently, the detection range of micro‐optical gyroscopes extends from millimeter‐scale physical mechanical motion to molecular vibrations at the nanometer scale; however, their precision is challenging to surpass the standard quantum limit. The primary research objective of quantum precision measurement is to utilize quantum resources to conduct quantum‐enhanced measurements on physical system quantities, thereby surpassing the quantum limit and improving parameter measurement accuracy. In recent years, due to the rapid development in the field of quantum precision measurement, quantum gyroscope has made great progress in practical and engineering. In the future, by replacing traditional accelerometers and gyroscopes, it may be possible to develop highly integrated, low‐power, and low‐drift quantum inertial navigation systems. Based on the information disclosed by journals, conferences, and related research institutions, this paper briefly outlines the development status, basic principles, and corresponding challenges of the micro‐optical gyroscope. Additionally, this paper introduces the current theoretical and experimental progress of quantum‐enhanced gyroscopes.
Inertial sensors, such as gyroscopes and accelerometers, are widely used in aerospace and navigation and play a vital role in seismic monitoring and safety for urban areas and large infrastructures. In particular, fiber-optic inertial sensors, being passive, lightweight, and immune to electromagnetic interference, can be ideally integrated into complex structures for localized and distributed sensing. Optical fibers are also a well-established technology, today widely used in a wealth of applications in physics, engineering and aerospace. However, limitations due to classical noise prevent a significant improvement in the performance currently achievable with fiber sensors.
With the rapid development of modern physics, atomic gyroscopes have been demonstrated in recent years. There are two types of atomic gyroscope. The Atomic Interferometer Gyroscope (AIG), which utilizes the atomic interferometer to sense rotation, is an ultra-high precision gyroscope; and the Atomic Spin Gyroscope (ASG), which utilizes atomic spin to sense rotation, features high precision, compact size and the possibility to make a chip-scale one. Recent developments in the atomic gyroscope field have created new ways to obtain high precision gyroscopes which were previously unavailable with mechanical or optical gyroscopes, but there are still lots of problems that need to be overcome to meet the requirements of inertial navigation systems. This paper reviews the basic principles of AIG and ASG, introduces the recent progress in this area, focusing on discussing their technical difficulties for inertial navigation applications, and suggests methods for developing high performance atomic gyroscopes in the near future.
The growing reliance on Global Positioning System (GPS) technologies across critical sectors such as defense, aerospace, and autonomous systems highlights the need for navigation solutions that are robust against signal loss, spoofing, and jamming. Quantum-based navigation systems offer a promising alternative, leveraging the fundamental principles of quantum mechanics to achieve unprecedented precision and resilience. This paper provides an overview of the core quantum technologies enabling this next generation of navigation, including atomic interferometry, quantum accelerometers, gyroscopes, and ultra-precise quantum clocks. Cold atom techniques and laser cooling play pivotal roles in enhancing measurement stability and accuracy. The integration of these technologies into inertial navigation systems (INS) significantly reduces drift and extends operational reliability in GPS-denied environments. Quantum navigation technologies are finding applications across a wide range of domains, including military defense, underwater missions, space travel, and autonomous transportation. Despite existing obstacles such as high development costs, environmental sensitivity, and the need for further miniaturization, progress in quantum sensor development and engineering continues at a steady pace. This article presents an overview of the fundamental concepts, present capabilities, and prospective advancements in quantum navigation. It also highlights the technology's promise as a viable alternative or even a possible replacement for conventional GPS systems.
Modern developments have led to a breakthrough in quantum technology that is the key to improving navigation and positioning systems. Translation of concepts such as superposition, entanglement, and quantum interference into quantum sensors pave the way toward high precision and accuracy in measuring gravitational, magnetic, and inertial forces. This chapter provides information on the performance of quantum sensors emphasizing navigation and positioning techniques. The superior performance of quantum accelerometers, gyroscopes, and magnetometers regarding sensitivity, non-drift, and lower errors are compared to classical systems. In addition, the implementation of quantum sensors in systems that can work alone, and in systems that are incorporated with classical GPS systems but have added quantum advantages is explained. This work also discusses the current research and development efforts on quantum sensors, the challenges of integrating them into modern applications, approaches to miniaturizing the technology for practical use, and their potential future adoption in areas such as creature design, autonomous transportation, defense, and aerospace. As a result of the comprehensive content included in this chapter, readers will gain a sufficient appreciation of the scientific principles upon which quantum sensors are anchored, as well as technology’s capability and versatility in enabling accurate navigation and positioning.