Find your way with a ‘quantum compass’
Scientists are attempting to make a motion sensor so precise it could minimize the nation’s reliance on global positioning satellites
For the first time, researchers from Sandia National Laboratories have used silicon photonic microchip components to perform a quantum sensing technique called atom interferometry, an ultra-precise way of measuring acceleration. It is the latest milestone toward developing a kind of quantum compass for navigation when GPS signals are unavailable.
The team published its findings and introduced a new high-performance silicon photonic modulator—a device that controls light on a microchip—as the cover story in the journal Science Advances.
The research was supported by Sandia’s Laboratory Directed Research and Development program. It took place, in part, at the National Security Photonics Center, a collaborative research center developing integrated photonics solutions for complex problems in the national security sector.
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