A Compact, Precision Atomic Spin Gyroscope for Inertial Navigation

The atomic spin gyroscope presented in this proposal is based on a new, very sensitive alkali-metal-noble-gas co-magnetometer sensor. Atomic spin is an ideal method for measuring orientation and rotation because vibrations and distortions of the sensor do not fundamentally change the orientation of atomic spins. This technology offers comparable fundamental performance to atom interferometers and is arguably simpler, more robust, and more compact than atom interferometer sensors published so far. Sensitivity of 0.0005 deg/rtHour and drift of 0.04 deg/hour have already been achieved using a 2.5 cm diameter spherical active volume in the laboratory and the proposed sensor is projected to improve upon those values by at least a factor of 10 in sensitivity and 100 in drift.   BENEFIT: This technology is ideal for high precision inertial navigation systems in boats and aircraft demanding high performance, low power and compact size, but not necessarily high bandwidth.