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TheScienceBreaker

Taking off with quantum sensors on unstaffed aerial vehicles

Jamie Vovrosh, Farzad Hayati

Published Oct 12, 2023• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

The extraordinary performance of quantum sensors based on cold atoms will enhance our understanding of the world around us. While ground-based devices are currently in use, their deployment by Unstaffed Aerial Vehicles (UAV's) requires significant reductions in size, weight, and power. This work has realised the first step towards the deployment of cold atom-based sensors on UAV’s.

DOI
10.25250/thescbr.brk755

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The extraordinary performance of quantum sensors based on cold atoms will enhance our understanding of the world around us. While ground-based devices are currently in use, their deployment by Unstaffed Aerial Vehicles (UAV's) requires significant reductions in size, weight, and power. This work has realised the first step towards the deployment of cold atom-based sensors on UAV’s.
The extraordinary performance offered by cold atom-based clocks and sensors has the opportunity to profoundly affect a range of applications, for example in gravity surveys, enabling long term monitoring applications through low drift measurements. While ground-based devices are already starting to enter the commercial market, significant improvements in robustness and reductions to size, weight, and power are required for such devices to be deployed by Unstaffed Aerial Vehicle systems (UAV). In this article, we realise the first step towards the deployment of cold atom based clocks and sensors on UAV’s by demonstrating an UAV portable magneto-optical trap system, the core package of cold atom based systems. This system is able to generate clouds of 2.1±0.2×107 atoms, in a package of 370 mm × 350 mm × 100 mm, weighing 6.56 kg, consuming 80 W of power.
The chapter introduces a groundbreaking quantum-enhanced adaptive optics system designed for environmental sensing by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Leveraging cutting-edge quantum technology, the system aims to revolutionize data precision and sensitivity in UAV-based environmental monitoring. The integration of quantum sensors within a UAV’s payload promises unparalleled accuracy in capturing environmental parameters. Adaptive optics play a pivotal role by adjusting a UAV’s optical components to counter atmospheric turbulence. Key components of the system include quantum sensors utilizing principles such as superposition and entanglement to measure physical properties with exceptional precision. The miniaturization of sensors is imperative for seamless integration onto UAV platforms. Critical steps in the deployment process involve sensor calibration, comprehensive testing, and integration of data from multiple sensors. Advanced algorithms are employed for sensor fusion and data processing, enabling real-time transmission of sensor data. The development of lightweight deformable mirrors and compact control electronics tailored for UAV applications is discussed. This chapter concludes by highlighting the role of Shack-Hartmann sensors in detecting incoming wavefront distortions and a sophisticated control system that adjusts deformable mirrors based on wavefront analysis, incorporating feedback.
In 5G and beyond networks, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) are an attractive solution to enhance the secrecy of a wireless systems by exploiting their predominant LOS links and spacial manoeuvrability to introduce a friendly jamming. In this work, we investigate the impact of two cooperative UAV-based jammers on the secrecy performance of a ground wireless wiretap channel by considering secrecy-area related metrics, the jamming coverage and jamming efficiency. Moreover, we propose a hybrid metric, the so-called Weighted Secrecy Coverage (WSC) that can be used as a metric for gaining insights on the optimal deployments of the UAV jammers to provide the best exploration of jamming signals. For evaluating these metrics, we derive a closed-form position-based metric, the secrecy improvement, and propose an analogous computationally simpler metric. Our simulations show that a balanced power allocation between the two UAVs leads to the best performances, as well as a symmetrical positioning behind the line of sight between the legitimate transmitter and receiver. Moreover, there exist an optimal UAV height for the jammers. Finally, we propose a suboptimal and simpler problem for the maximisation of the WSC.