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A compact cold-atom interferometer with a high data-rate grating magneto-optical trap and a
Jongmin Lee1, Roger Ding2, Justin Christensen2
1Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM, 87185, USA. jongmin.lee@sandia.gov.
Nature Communications
|September 1, 2022
Summary
Researchers developed compact cold-atom interferometer technologies for miniaturized accelerometers. Key innovations include a novel vacuum package and integrated laser system, enabling high-performance inertial sensing.
Area of Science:
- Atomic physics
- Quantum sensing
- Microfabrication
Background:
- Miniaturization of cold-atom interferometers is crucial for advanced inertial sensors.
- Existing technologies face challenges in size, complexity, and operational stability.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present novel component technologies and a laser system architecture for miniaturized cold-atom interferometer accelerometers.
- To demonstrate the feasibility of a compact, high-performance cold-atom inertial sensor.
Main Methods:
- Developed a compact titanium vacuum package with a microfabricated grating chip for a tetrahedral grating magneto-optical trap (GMOT).
- Designed a photonic-integrated-circuit-compatible laser system using time-multiplexing for reduced optical channels.
- Utilized sub-Doppler cooling in the GMOT and Ramsey interferometry for atomic coherence validation.
Main Results:
- Achieved 15 μK temperatures in the GMOT with a 20 Hz data rate.
- Demonstrated a light-pulse atom interferometer gravimeter with a 10 Hz data rate and 4.5 ms interrogation time.
- Obtained a measurement sensitivity of Δg/g = 2.0 × 10-6.
Conclusions:
- The developed technologies represent a significant advancement towards deployable cold-atom inertial sensors.
- The compact design and integrated systems pave the way for robust inertial sensing under dynamic conditions.
