Title: NIST Develops Compact Cold Atom Instruments for Precision Sensing
NIST researchers are developing compact, chip-scale instruments using cold atomic gases and beams for precise sensing applications. These miniaturized devices aim to achieve the same high performance as laboratory-scale cold atom apparatuses but in much smaller form factors.
Key developments include:
– Vacuum technology for ultra-high vacuum chambers with low power consumption
– Optical integration using photonic integrated circuits and metasurfaces
– Novel atomic vapor production methods
– Miniaturized microwave frequency standards using optical coherent population trapping
– Chip-scale atomic beam devices for quantum sensing
– Centimeter-scale cold atom interferometry for inertial sensing
The research focuses on balancing miniaturization with performance, exploring techniques like single-source multiaxis cold-atom interferometry and point-source atom interferometry. These compact instruments could enable portable, high-precision sensing applications in areas such as navigation, timing, and inertial measurement.
Source: https://www.nist.gov/programs-projects/compact-cold-atom-instruments
Keywords: Atomic, Laser, Cold, Vacuum, Interferometry
