Mobile and remote inertial sensing with atom interferometers

TL;DR

This paper reviews recent advances in mobile atom interferometers for inertial sensing, highlighting new cold potassium measurements, potential applications in geophysics, gravitational wave detection, and space-based fundamental tests.

Contribution

It presents novel results on cold potassium atom interferometry and discusses future applications of portable, high-precision inertial sensors.

Findings

First interferometer measurements with cold $^{39}$K atoms.

Progress toward a transportable dual-species interferometer.

Potential for remote geophysical sensing and space-based tests.

Abstract

The past three decades have shown dramatic progress in the ability to manipulate and coherently control the motion of atoms. This exquisite control offers the prospect of a new generation of inertial sensors with unprecedented sensitivity and accuracy, which will be important for both fundamental and applied science. In this article, we review some of our recent results regarding the application of atom interferometry to inertial measurements using compact, mobile sensors. This includes some of the first interferometer measurements with cold $^{39}$K atoms, which is a major step toward achieving a transportable, dual-species interferometer with rubidium and potassium for equivalence principle tests. We also discuss future applications of this technology, such as remote sensing of geophysical effects, gravitational wave detection, and precise tests of the weak equivalence principle in Space.