Andrei Shkel University of California, Irvine
The objective of this project is to investigate a new class of inertial instruments relying on inertial properties of atoms. Specifically, work will be made to investigate how the precession of spin-polarized nuclei of Rb and Xn isotopes ?caged? in a small volume can encode and carry inertial information about rotation of objects. It is estimated that the proposed technology will achieve performance levels comparable to state-of-the art conventional gyroscopes, but at a fraction of their cost. Several fundamental challenges will be addressed in the project, including the feasibility of operating an atomic gyroscope with a miniature cell, magnetic field uniformity in microfabricated coils, effects of assembly and fabrication imperfections, methods for wafer-level filling of alkali metal vapor and noble gases, development of miniature non-magnetic heaters, and the effect of cell shape and buffer gases on the nuclear relaxation time. This research is expected to advance scientific knowledge in the areas of innovative sensing concepts, signal processing, and system-level implementation. This highly multidisciplinary project will provide unique educational experience for undergraduate and graduate students through team collaborations. High school students will also participate in this project through unique summer internships.
