High precision atom interferometers have shown attractive prospects in laboratory for testing fundamental physics and inertial sensing. Efforts on applying this innovative technology to field applications are also being made intensively. As the manipulation of cold atoms and related matching technologies mature, inertial sensors based on atom interferometry can be adapted to various indoor or mobile platforms. A series of experiments have been conducted and high performance has been achieved. In this paper, we will introduce the principles, the key technologies, and the applications of atom interferometers, and mainly review the recent progress of movable atom gravimeters.
High precision atom interferometers have shown attractive prospects in laboratory for testing fundamental physics and inertial sensing. Efforts on applying this innovative technology to field applications are also being made intensively. As the manipulation of cold atoms and related matching technologies mature, inertial sensors based on atom interferometry can be adapted to various indoor or mobile platforms. A series of experiments have been conducted and high performance has been achieved. In this paper, we will introduce the principles, the key technologies, and the applications of atom interferometers, and mainly review the recent progress of movable atom gravimeters.
The past three decades have shown dramatic progress in the ability to manipulate and coherently control the motion of atoms. This exquisite control offers the prospect of a new generation of inertial sensors with unprecedented sensitivity and accuracy, which will be important for both fundamental and applied science. In this article, we review some of our recent results regarding the application of atom interferometry to inertial measurements using compact, mobile sensors. This includes some of the first interferometer measurements with cold 39K atoms, which is a major step toward achieving a transportable, dual-species interferometer with rubidium and potassium for equivalence principle tests. We also discuss future applications of this technology, such as remote sensing of geophysical effects, gravitational wave detection, and precise tests of the weak equivalence principle in Space.
The past three decades have shown dramatic progress in the ability to manipulate and coherently control the motion of atoms. This exquisite control offers the prospect of a new generation of inertial sensors with unprecedented sensitivity and accuracy, which will be important for both fundamental and applied science. In this article, we review some of our recent results regarding the application of atom interferometry to inertial measurements using compact, mobile sensors. This includes some of the first interferometer measurements with cold 39K atoms, which is a major step toward achieving a transportable, dual-species interferometer with rubidium and potassium for equivalence principle tests. We also discuss future applications of this technology, such as remote sensing of geophysical effects, gravitational wave detection, and precise tests of the weak equivalence principle in Space.
Abstract Atom interferometry is one of the most promising technologies for high precision measurements. It has the potential to revolutionise many different sectors, such as navigation and positioning, resource exploration, geophysical studies, and fundamental physics. After decades of research in the field of cold atoms, the technology has reached a stage where commercialisation of cold atom interferometers has become possible. This article describes recent developments, challenges, and prospects for quantum sensors for inertial sensing based on cold atom interferometry techniques.
The research on cold-atom interferometers gathers a large community of about 50 groups worldwide both in the academic and now in the industrial sectors. The interest in this sub-field of quantum sensing and metrology lies in the large panel of possible applications of cold-atom sensors for measuring inertial and gravitational signals with a high level of stability and accuracy. This review presents the evolution of the field over the last 30 years and focuses on the acceleration of the research effort in the last 10 years. The article describes the physics principle of cold-atom gravito-inertial sensors as well as the main parts of hardware and the expertise required when starting the design of such sensors. The author then reviews the progress in the development of instruments measuring gravitational and inertial signals, with a highlight on the limitations to the performances of the sensors, on their applications and on the latest directions of research.
Atomic gravimetry measures the gravitional acceleration of an ensemble of identical neutral atoms through the atom interferometry based on Raman two-photon transition, where the Raman lasers are used as “optical ruler" and the identical neutral atoms play the role of test mass and quantum storage of gravity field information. As the novel gravimetry system suffers no mechanical wear and works at a higher repetition rate, atom gravimetry can reach a much better short-term sensitivity than the classical falling-corner-cube counterpart, and the accuracy is reasonably well. Since the very first in-laboratory device built over 30 years ago, atomic gravimetry has matured to a versatile tool that offers both precise and accurate absolute gravity measurement to fundamental research and metrology, such as testing the weak equivalence principle or linking the mass and weight of the test mass in Watt (Kibble) balance. As the current rapid development of compact cold-atom gravimeters, atomic gravimetry is moving out of the laboratory to be used as a quantum enhancement of classical devices in dynamical measurement, such as geophysics survey, inertial navigation and space mission. We review the roadmap for the development of cold-atom absolute gravimetry, highlight recent advances in the dynamical measurement using compact cold atom gravimeters and discuss the associated technological challenges. In the future, with the maturity of its application in dynamical measurement or civil engineering and the innovation in atom interferometry theory, atomic gravimetry could play a more and more important role in our life.
With over 20 years of development, atomic interferometry gravimeters have distinguished themselves in gravity measurements by their high precision and sensitivity. To cater to the demands of field absolute gravity measurements for marine and aerial gravity field measurements, resource exploration, inertial navigation, and positioning, the miniaturization, mobility, and engineering of atomic interferometry gravimeters have become crucial areas of development. On this basis, this article elucidates the principles of atomic interferometry gravimeters, encompassing various laser cooling techniques, magneto-optical traps, and Raman light interference. As a matter of fact, it provides an overview of the principles and achieved precision benchmarks of portable, vehicular, airborne, and shipborne atomic interferometry gravimeters. Additionally, it analyzes the experimental content and results of maritime, terrestrial, and aerial experiments based on portable atomic interferometry gravimeters. The limitations of portable atomic interferometry gravimeters are discussed, along with an exploration of their application prospects. Overall, these results shed light on guiding further exploration of mobile atom interferometry gravity.