SQUID-based interferometric accelerometer

TL;DR

This paper proposes a novel SQUID-based electronic interferometric accelerometer that detects acceleration via phase changes in Cooper pairs, offering a potentially portable alternative to optical and matter-wave sensors.

Contribution

It introduces a new approach using superconducting quantum interference devices for acceleration measurement, expanding the toolkit of inertial sensors with a portable, electronic method.

Findings

Numerical evidence supports feasibility for transverse acceleration detection.

Potential for measuring oscillatory motion.

Offers a more portable alternative to existing high-sensitivity sensors.

Abstract

Optics and more recently coherent matter waves enabled inertial sensors such as accelerometers and gyroscopes to reach high levels of resolution and sensitivity. As these technologies rest on physical phenomena that require particular setups and working conditions such as, e.g., kilometers of optical fibers or ultralow temperatures, their application range is limited because of lack of portability. Here, we propose a path forward considering a superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) to detect and measure acceleration, using electronic interferometry. The operation of such an accelerometer rests on the ability of the Cooper pairs to record their wave function phase change as the device is subjected either to a transverse acceleration or vibrations. We provide numerical evidence for the feasibility of SQUID-based accelerometers that can be used for transverse acceleration and oscillatory motion measurement.