Guided cold atom inertial sensors with membrane integrated photonics on atom trap integrated platforms
| DWPI Title: Inertial sensor system, such as guided atomic accelerometer or guided atomic gyroscope, has membrane extending across opening of substrate, and waveguide formed on membrane such that waveguide extends across opening |
| Abstract: A guided cold-atom inertial sensor system comprises an atom trap integrated platform, a laser system, a magnetic field system, a control system, and a computing system. The laser system and magnetic field system are adapted to form a magneto-optical trap (MOT) about a suspended waveguide of the atom trap integrated platform made of membrane integrated photonics. After loading cold atoms from a MOT, the photonic atom trap integrated platform generates one-dimensional guided atoms with an evanescent field optical dipole trap (EF-ODT) along the optical waveguide to create guided atomic accelerometers/gyroscopes. Motion of atomic wavepackets in a superposition state is created along the guided atom geometry by way of state-dependent momentum kicks. The light-pulse sequence of guided atom interferometry splits, redirects, and recombines atomic wavepackets, which allows measurement of atom interference fringes sensitive to inertial forces via a probe laser. |
| Use: Inertial sensor system, such as a guided atomic accelerometer or a guided atomic gyroscope. |
| Advantage: The guided cold atom inertial sensor system is easier to manufacture to shapes and configurations of sensors as compared to a device that incorporates tapered optical fiber that are generally manufactured as a linear shape by high precision fiber-pulling techniques. |
| Novelty: The inertial sensor system comprises a laser system to emit cooling beams, such that the cooling beams intersect in a region in which the magnetic field gradient is formed, thus forming a magneto-optical trap (MOT). A red-detuned trapping beam is provided, such that red detuned light propagates in the waveguide (506), the red-detuned trapping beam being red tuned with respect to a resonant optical transition of an atom trapped in the MOT. A blue-detuned trapping beam is provided, such that blue-detuned light propagates in the waveguide. The propagation of the red and blue tuned lights causes formation of an evanescent field optical dipole trap (EF-ODT) about the waveguide. |
| Filed: 1/6/2022 |
| Application Number: US17569578A |
| Tech ID: SD 15257.1 |
| This invention was made with Government support under Contract No. DE-NA0003525 awarded by the United States Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration. The Government has certain rights in the invention. |
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