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Applied Physics Reviews

Developments for quantum inertial navigation systems employing Bose–Einstein condensates

Matthias Gersemann, Ashwin Rajagopalan, M. Abidi, Philipp Barbey, Allen Sabu, Xinshuo Chen, Nicolai Ben Weddig, Benjamin Tennstedt, J. Petring, N. Droese, Alexander Kassner, C. Künzler, L. Keinert, Xiao Xiao, Folke Dencker, Marc Christopher Wurz, A. Löwer, Edgar von Hinüber, Dennis Schlippert, Ernst Maria Rasel, Steffen Schön, Sven Abend

Published Jul 1, 2025• 9 citations
Publisher

Abstract

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.

DOI
10.1063/5.0250666

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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.
New quantum devices based on manipulations of Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) on microfabricated chips hold great promise for application to high precision inertial navigation. By employing appropriate mechanizations which separate acceleration and rotation sensitivities, atom interferometers can have dual functionality as both accelerometers and gyroscopes. BEC interferometers could offer ten orders of magnitude inertial measurement improvement with possibility of developing highly sensitive inertial measurement unit (IMU) which would provide extremely accurate free-inertial navigation with long-term accuracy. This is very suitable for applications in undersea environments where direct use of the Global Positioning System (GPS) is denied. Due to the high sensitivity of BEC and the complexity of microfabricated structures, application specific sources of decoherence, environmental noises, and errors are modeled and studied.
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.
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.
Atomic quantum sensors are a major breakthrough in the technology of time and frequency standards as well as ultra-precise sensing and monitoring of accelerations and rotations. They apply a new kind of optics based on matter waves. Today, atomic clocks are the standard for time and frequency measurement at the highest precisions. Inertial and rotational sensors using atom interferometers have already shown similar potential for replacing state-of-the-art sensors in other fields. With Bose-Einstein condensates, also refered as atom lasers, the traditional experiments with atom interferometers can be greatly improved. Testing of fundamental principles, studies of atomic properties, applications as inertial sensors, and measurements of fundamental constants can benefit from the brightness (intensity and small momentum spread) of these coherent sources. In addition, the coherence properties of condensates may also allow BEC based atom interferometers to approach the Heisenberg detection limit. This corresponds to a measurement precision which scales like 1/N for N atoms and not like 1 / N as for independent measurements on N atoms.
Recent developments in quantum technology have resulted in a new generation of sensors for measuring inertial quantities, such as acceleration and rotation. These sensors can exhibit unprecedented sensitivity and accuracy when operated in space, where the free-fall interrogation time can be extended at will and where the environment noise is minimal. European laboratories have played a leading role in this field by developing concepts and tools to operate these quantum sensors in relevant environment, such as parabolic flights, free-fall towers, or sounding rockets. With the recent achievement of Bose–Einstein condensation on the International Space Station, the challenge is now to reach a technology readiness level sufficiently high at both component and system levels to provide “off the shelf” payload for future generations of space missions in geodesy or fundamental physics. In this roadmap, we provide an extensive review on the status of all common parts, needs, and subsystems for the application of atom-based interferometers in space, in order to push for the development of generic technology components.
Inertial sensors based on cold atoms and light-pulse interferometry exhibit state-of-the-art sensitivity and ultra-low measurement bias that could revolutionize a variety of fields including geophysics and seismology, gravitational wave detection and fundamental tests of gravity, and inertial navigation. In the latter case, cold-atom interferometers are widely considered as breakthrough technology for future autonomous INSs. Nowadays, absolute quantum inertial sensors are available as commercial and field-deployable devices. Yet, their current size and complexity has not yet reached a technology readiness level compatible with mobile applications or plug-and-play operation by non-specialists. These systems are in desperate need of further development and miniaturization. We will present progress beyond these first experiments while exploring new methods relying on 3D matter-wave manipulation that can lead to interferometer geometries that are simultaneously sensitive to accelerations and rotations in 3D and can discern their vector components within a single measurement. These novel innovations produce additional sensitivity to rotations and gravity gradients which has not yet been exploited experimentally and could be a game changing innovation for future atomic sensors. 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.