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DGON Inertial Sensors and Systems (ISS)

Miniaturized quantum systems for inertial measurement units

Alexander Kassner, Leonard Frank Diekmann, C. Künzler, J. Petring, N. Droese, Folke Dencker, Hendrik Heine, Sven Abend, Matthias Gersemann, Ernst Maria Rasel, Waldemar Herr, Christian Schubert, Marc Christopher Wurz

Published Oct 24, 2023• 1 citation
Publisher

Abstract

We present the development of an atom chip system along with associated peripherals for a six-axis quantum inertial navigation sensor based on atom interferometry. Based on quantum mechanical measurement concepts, these sensors are expected to have high sensitivity and superior long-term stability compared to conventional inertial sensors. Furthermore, they enable offset-free absolute measurement. However, the low measurement rate proves to be a disadvantage. Compared to classical inertial sensors, quantum inertial navigation sensors thus exhibit complementary features, so that a combination of these two methods appears promising. The use of inertial measurement systems on board of aircraft or satellites is usually accompanied by limitations in size, payload and power consumption. To meet these requirements, we address both the atom chip system itself and the necessary environment in the form of pumps and vacuum enclosures which are crucial parts of the sensor head.

DOI
10.1109/iss58390.2023.10361909

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We present the development of an atom chip system along with associated peripherals for a six-axis quantum inertial navigation sensor based on atom interferometry. Based on quantum mechanical measurement concepts, these sensors are expected to have high sensitivity and superior long-term stability compared to conventional inertial sensors. Furthermore, they enable offset-free absolute measurement. However, the low measurement rate proves to be a disadvantage. Compared to classical inertial sensors, quantum inertial navigation sensors thus exhibit complementary features, so that a combination of these two methods appears promising. The use of inertial measurement systems on board of aircraft or satellites is usually accompanied by limitations in size, payload and power consumption. To meet these requirements, we address both the atom chip system itself and the necessary environment in the form of pumps and vacuum enclosures which are crucial parts of the sensor head.
Quantum technology became a new tool for navigation based on measuring accelerations and rotations. However, the full potential of atom interferometers that operate with ultracold atoms has not yet been exploited. This paper presents current developments in the field of generation and application of Bose–Einstein condensates for inertial navigation. It covers the advancements in the form of atom chip and compact vacuum technology, classical sensor hybridization, and a multi-axis atom interferometry technique. In addition, the synergies of combining quantum sensors with classical inertial measurement units and their implications for navigation trajectories are discussed.
Inertial sensors based on cold atom interferometry exhibit many interesting features for applications related to inertial navigation, particularly in terms of sensitivity and long-term stability. However, at present the typical atom interferometer is still very much an experiment—consisting of a bulky, static apparatus with a limited dynamic range and high sensitivity to environmental effects. To be compliant with mobile applications further development is needed. In this work, we present a compact and mobile experiment, which we recently used to achieve the first inertial measurements with an atomic accelerometer onboard an aircraft. By integrating classical inertial sensors into our apparatus, we are able to operate the atomic sensor well beyond its standard operating range, corresponding to half of an interference fringe. We report atom-based acceleration measurements along both the horizontal and vertical axes of the aircraft with one-shot sensitivities of 2.3 × 10−4 g over a range of ∼ 0.1 g. The same technology can be used to develop cold-atom gyroscopes, which could surpass the best optical gyroscopes in terms of long-term sensitivity. Our apparatus was also designed to study multi-axis atom interferometry with the goal of realizing a full inertial measurement unit comprised of the three axes of acceleration and rotation. Finally, we present a compact and tunable laser system, which constitutes an essential part of any cold-atom-based sensor. The architecture of the laser is based on phase modulating a single fiber-optic laser diode, and can be tuned over a range of 1 GHz in less than 200 μs.
We are developing an atom interferometer that measures horizontal accelerations to form a component of a quantum inertial measurement unit. Benefitting from the inherent stability of atom interferometry, this points to a navigation system that offers long-term accuracy without recourse to GPS. To aid compactness and transportability, the sub-components of the quantum sensor are mounted in a 19-inch rack. This includes an optical system of two titanium-sapphire lasers that delivers all of the optical pulses required to operate a highly sensitive atom interferometer using 87Rb atoms. Active compensation systems that allow operation of the quantum sensor in the noisy environment of a moving vehicle are described. Finally, we give an account of recent field trials on a variety of test platforms.
Quantum technology have attracted strong interest in recent years thanks to its extreme sensitivity to inertial forces and its strong immunity to drifts compared to conventional mechanical sensors. This paper introduces cold atom sensors as six-axis inertial sensors from the engineering point of view. In order to highlight the potential of this technology as needed for inertial navigation, a strapdown closed-loop-simulation has been developed. Furthermore, we present an error model for quantum sensors that includes terms such as quantum shot noise and phase noise of the reference laser. Considering this inherent stochastic characteristics, we made also a comparison with other conventional inertial measurement units. The analysis shows that quantum sensors with the same sensitivity as of for static measuring local gravity can determine their position with accuracy of one-meter level even after one hour, while other quantum sensors with less sensitivity exhibit for the same duration an amplitude up to 1 km, similar to conventional sensors.
In recent years, quantum technology has attracted attention in inertial navigation, especially due to its extreme sensitivity to inertial forces and strong immunity to drifts, which plague conventional sensors. There are multiple groups around the world working on cold atom interferometry aiming to develop high sensitive inertial sensors for very high accuracy autonomous navigation. Recent advancements in micro-fabrication technologies have helped in development of robust and miniaturized atom interferometry based high performance inertial systems. These, in future, will pave way for autonomous satellite inertial navigation sensors based on cold atoms. Here we discuss the achievements towards realizing cold atom inertial sensors and their indomitable role as inertial sensors for future satellites. A detailed survey on the initiatives taken by different space agencies, their achievements and their plans to explore its potential in space are also discussed.
Quantum sensors based on atom interferometers can provide measurements of inertial quantities with unprecedented accuracy and precision. It has been suggested that this sea change in sensing could provide an inertial navigation capability that is comparable with current satellite based navigation systems. However, the accuracy of sensor measurements is not the only factor that limits the accuracy of inertial navigation systems. In this paper, we explore the fundamental limits to inertial navigation, and explain how quantum inertial sensors could be used to alleviate some of the problems encountered in current classical inertial navigation systems, but not to solve the fundamental instability inherent in inertial navigation methods.