Inertial Accelerometer Using Cold Atom Interferometry

To improve targeting accuracy, Submersible Ship Ballistic Nuclear (SSBN) submarine strategic weapon systems depend on high accuracy inertial sensors in order to precisely determine initial launch coordinates in very dynamic environments. These systems require absolute acceleration accuracy better than 1x10-9 g/Hz (=1 fYGal/Hz). Conventional accelerometers based on both macro- and micro-scopic (MEMS) spring mass systems struggle to achieve this accuracy and suffer from bias and scale factor stability. To address this fundamental sensor need, Physical Sciences Inc. (PSI) proposes to develop a precision inertial accelerometer based on cold atom interferometry. In phase I PSI will construct a complete design for a single axis accelerometer to be constructed in phase II. This experimental prototype will demonstrate the required 1x10-9 g/Hz sensitivity while at the same time incorporating enough flexibility to explore the sensor design space sufficiently to establish the key design criteria that can guide the process of incorporating this technology into current military systems.