Rotation related systematic effects in a cold atom interferometer onboard a Nadir pointing satellite

TL;DR

This paper investigates how rotational effects impact a cold atom interferometer on a Nadir pointing satellite, focusing on noise and bias evaluation, especially considering active rotation compensation, relevant for quantum sensing missions.

Contribution

It provides a simulation-based analysis of rotational systematic effects on a cold atom interferometer in satellite conditions, aiding mission design and error mitigation.

Findings

Rotation induces measurable noise and bias in the interferometer

Active rotation compensation reduces systematic effects

Simulation results inform future quantum sensor deployments

Abstract

We study the effects of rotations on a cold atom accelerometer onboard a Nadir pointing satellite. A simulation of the satellite attitude combined with a calculation of the phase of the cold atom interferometer allow us to evaluate the noise and bias induced by rotations. In particular, we evaluate the effects associated to the active compensation of the rotation due to Nadir pointing. This study was realized in the context of the preliminary study phase of the CARIOQA Quantum Pathfinder Mission.