Defence Science and Technology Grant: Inertial sensing with a quantum gas phonon interferometer (2019-2022)

While trapped atom interferometers can provide orders of magnitude improvement on inertial sensing with phonons, for a similar enclosed area, they are complicated by the effects of atom-atom interactions. An alternative approach is to use trapped standing wave phonons in a BEC, where the atom-atom interactions give rise to the fundamental mechanism of the interferometer. This project will examine the feasibility of standing-wave phonons for rotation sensing.

Defence Science and Technology Group, Next Generation Technologies Fund: Quantum Technologies Research Network (2019-2022), “Inertial sensing with a quantum gas phonon interferometer,” $693k, CI Prof Halina Rubinsztein-Dunlop, PIs Dr Mark Baker, Dr Tyler Neely, Dr Michael Bromley, Prof Matthew Davis, Dr Joel Corney, Dr Simon Haine.
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Viability of rotation sensing using phonon interferometry in Bose-Einstein condensates
Viability of rotation sensing using phonon interferometry in Bose-Einstein condensates

Charles W. Woffinden, Andrew J. Groszek, Guillaume Gauthier, Bradley J. Mommers, Michael. W. J. Bromley, Simon A. Haine, Halina Rubinsztein-Dunlop, Matthew J. Davis, Tyler W. Neely, Mark Baker, SciPost Phys. 15, 128 (2023) - Published 2 October 2023

In this work, we cool down rubidium atoms to close to absolute zero to form a Bose Einstein Condensate. We form this condensate into a ring, then create sound waves travelling around the circumference of the ring. These sound waves (or phonons) create a standing wave in the density of the condensate, with high- and low-density points around the ring which act as markers. Due to the superfluid nature of the condensate, these markers stay in the same location of the ring and don’t rotate, even if the lab frame of reference is rotating (e.g. due to Earth’s rotation). This means that these markers act as an absolute frame of reference - like the north-seeking pole on a compass and so could potentially be used for navigation in situations where satellite navigation is not available e.g. under water.

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Publications

CIs

Dr. Michel Bromley

Dr. Simon Haine

Dr. Joel Corney