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Navigation with Atom Interferometers

Mary Locke, Frank A. Narducci

Published Mar 20, 2017• 0 citations
OpenAlex

Abstract

Abstract : In this article, we review the basic physics of an atom interferometer. We highlight the usefulness of atom interferometers for inertial navigation due to their high phase sensitivity to both linear acceleration and angular rotation, but also the drawback that a single atom interferometer cannot distinguish between the two sources of phase shifts. We describe a design for a dual atom interferometer to simultaneously measure acceleration and rotation and we describe the current status of our apparatus.

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Abstract : In this article, we review the basic physics of an atom interferometer. We highlight the usefulness of atom interferometers for inertial navigation due to their high phase sensitivity to both linear acceleration and angular rotation, but also the drawback that a single atom interferometer cannot distinguish between the two sources of phase shifts. We describe a design for a dual atom interferometer to simultaneously measure acceleration and rotation and we describe the current status of our apparatus.
The exquisite precision of atom interferometers has sparked the interest of a large community for uses ranging from fundamental physics to geodesy and inertial navigation. However, their implementation for onboard applications is still limited, not least because rotation and acceleration are intertwined in a single phase shift, which makes the extraction of a useful signal more challenging. Moreover, the spatial separation of the wave packets due to rotations leads to a loss of signal. We present an atom interferometer operating over a large range of random angles, rotation rates and accelerations. A model of the expected phase shift allows us to untangle the rotation and acceleration signals. We also implement a real-time compensation system using fiber-optic gyroscopes and a rotating reference mirror to maintain the full contrast of the interferometer. We demonstrate a single-shot sensitivity to acceleration of 24 μg for rotation rates reaching 14° s−1. Cold atoms inertial sensors offer great precision and sensitivity, yet their use in mobile applications has been hindered by the effects of rotations on their measurements. Here, authors demonstrate an atom interferometer operating over a wide range of orientations and rotation rates, thanks to hybridisation with accelerometers and gyroscopes.
Recent technological advancements in atom interferometry have demonstrated extremely precise inertial measurements of acceleration and rotation. These could be used to develop ultra-precise inertial navigation systems that approach GPS navigation. The paper presents a rudimentary exposition of the interferometer which is based on beams of atoms cooled by lasers to a velocity of the order of 1 m/s and launched along two trajectories that re-combine, as in a classical interferometer. Using the dual wave-particle quantum mechanical properties of atoms, the differential phase of the interfering beams is indicative of inertial acceleration and rotation, similar to the Sagnac effect. Due to the much shorter wavelength of the atomic beam, the sensitivity is many orders of magnitude greater. Concluding analyses show that an inertial navigation system with 5/hr drift is technically possible.
The atom interferometer was reviewed and its recent development and progress were reported.The interferometer,based on the theory of laser cooling,trapping and manipulation of atom,utilizes the atomic particles as free fall test masses to measure the experienced inertial force of the apparatus.Many tests show that the novel inertial sensors can measure the rotation and acceleration of apparatus with unprecedented sensitivity and precision,and distinguish them by counter-propagating beams of atoms.The atom interferometer can get extensive application in inertial measurement based on them due to its compactness and long-term stability.
The recent development of the atom interferometer and its demonstration as an inertial sensor of acceleration and rotation rate augur a new generation of inertial navigation systems that would rival today's satellite navigation accuracy at the few-meter level. This paper reviews the principles of inertial measurement using the atom interferometer from a rudimentary viewpoint to illustrate the fundamentals and to highlight some of the potential shortcomings with a particular type, the cold-atom interferometer. One of these shortcomings is the fact that this interferometer requires a finite period of time during which the atoms are prepared (cooled) before they enter the interferometer and respond to its dynamics relative to an inertial frame. This lapse in the measurement duty cycle could be supplemented with very precise conventional inertial measurement units (IMUs), or eliminated with multiple, interleaved atom interferometers. Error analyses show that cold-atom interferometric IMUs that capture 50 percent of the dynamics must be coupled with conventional IMUs that are 50 times more accurate than typical navigation-grade units to sustain a horizontal position error of under 5 m (root mean square) after 1 h.
Atom interferometry shows high sensitivity for inertial measurements in the laboratory, but it faces difficulties in field applications because of a trade-off between sensitivity and size. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop a small sensor with high resolution for measuring acceleration and rotation in inertial navigation applications. Presented here is a miniaturized inertial sensor capable of measuring acceleration and rotation simultaneously based on high-resolution dual atom interferometers. A sensor head is integrated within a volume of 100 l, in which the vacuum chambers are fabricated by bonding quartz-glass windows with epoxy resin. A photoelectric cabinet is composed of four 3U rack units by integrating optical modules and electronic units. Dual atom interference fringes with a contrast of 29% are observed, and the acceleration and rotation are measured simultaneously by extracting their phase shifts. By developing a temperature compensation method to eliminate phase drifts caused by the thermal deformation of the Raman mirrors and using wave vector reversal to eliminate the phase drifts independent of the direction of the wave vector, measurement resolutions of 40 ng at 518 s and 6.1 nrad/s at 10 880 s are achieved for acceleration and rotation, respectively, from Allan deviations.
We propose new multidimensional atom optics that can create coherent superpositions of atomic wave packets along three spatial directions. These tools can be used to generate light-pulse atom interferometers that are simultaneously sensitive to the three components of acceleration and rotation, and we discuss how to isolate these inertial components in a single experimental shot. We also present a new type of atomic gyroscope that is insensitive to parasitic accelerations and initial velocities. The ability to measure the full acceleration and rotation vectors with a compact, high-precision, low-bias inertial sensor could strongly impact the fields of inertial navigation, gravity gradiometry, and gyroscopy.