Quantum sensor

Quantum sensors utilize properties of quantum mechanics, such as quantum entanglement, quantum interference, and quantum state squeezing. These properties have increased precision and beat current limits in sensor technology, and work to evade the Heisenberg uncertainty principle.

One of the possible applications of quantum sensors has been demonstrated in a research collaboration between the Japanese National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology, the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, and Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski in BulgariaBulgaria. This collaboration has used a quantum sensor to achieve early diagnosis and preventative treatment through the detection of oxidative stress, which is associated with various diseases. The new sensor is appropriate for the early diagnosis of pathologies accompanied by inflammation, such as infectious diseases, cancers, neurodegeneration, atherosclerosis, diabetes, and kidney dysfunction.

Quantum gyroscopes work by generating a phase difference between atom waves propagating in opposite directions around a rotating ring. Researchers from Stanford University, in collaboration with the Defense Advanced Research Projects AgencyDefense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), have built prototype gradiometers, gyroscopes and accelerometers. The initial aim was to make inertial measurement units that could fit on a fingertip, however they have bene unable to shrink the gyroscopes below 100 cm³ due to the necessary laser and optical modulator subsystems.

At Mount Etna, in SicilySicily, researchers from Glasgow University and Italian volcanologists work to monitor the activity of the volcano, one of the more active volcanoes. The conventional equipment used for monitoring include seismometers, ground deformation recorders, gas monitors, infrared cameras, and satellite imagers to monitor the volcano. These instruments require frequent recalibration and movement in order to best monitor the volcano, which introduces risk to the researchers and scientists as they work in the volcanic environment. This has lead the team to use micro- and nano-fabrication techniques to make tiny quantum gravimeters on silicon wafers, similar to those developed by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and which are less expensive than conventional monitoring equipment. The sensor is a mass on a soft spring and where the spring sits is dependent on gravity. As gravity changes, the spring position changes. These sensors would be small and inexpensive enough to spread amongst the volcano, and are sensitive enough to make the necessary measurements for the researchers.

Quantum gyroscopes work by generating a phase difference between atom waves propagating in opposite directions around a rotating ring. Researchers from Stanford University, in collaboration with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPADARPA), have built prototype gradiometers, gyroscopes and accelerometers. The initial aim was to make inertial measurement units that could fit on a fingertip, however they have bene unable to shrink the gyroscopes below 100 cm³ due to the necessary laser and optical modulator subsystems.

At Mount EtnaMount Etna, in Sicily, researchers from Glasgow University and Italian volcanologists work to monitor the activity of the volcano, one of the more active volcanoes. The conventional equipment used for monitoring include seismometers, ground deformation recorders, gas monitors, infrared cameras, and satellite imagers to monitor the volcano. These instruments require frequent recalibration and movement in order to best monitor the volcano, which introduces risk to the researchers and scientists as they work in the volcanic environment. This has lead the team to use micro- and nano-fabrication techniques to make tiny quantum gravimeters on silicon wafers, similar to those developed by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and which are less expensive than conventional monitoring equipment. The sensor is a mass on a soft spring and where the spring sits is dependent on gravity. As gravity changes, the spring position changes. These sensors would be small and inexpensive enough to spread amongst the volcano, and are sensitive enough to make the necessary measurements for the researchers.

Quantum accelerometers have proven stable when compared to conventional accelerometers which warp over time. However, unlike conventional accelerometers which can offer continuous operation, impeded by the need for quantum systemsquantum systems to prepare an atom's finite free-fall time, quantum accelerometers offer proper calibration.

As well as offering operation at a wide range of frequencies and delivering large bandwidths, these receiver systems can detect electromagnetic emissions up to the 20 GHz range, which includes the frequencies for BluetoothBluetooth, WiFi, and other communication methods. This allows the use of these systems to detect communication signals, but, because they do not absorb energy from a field they measure, this detection would be capable without alerting an opponent. Further, communication equipment using atoms in the Rydberg state could be protected from jamming or other forms of electromagnetic interference. However, the sensors and their related systems are large and power-hungry, proving difficult to be deployed.