INERTIAL QUANTUM SENSORS FOR POSITION AND NAVIGATION LABORATORY – iQNav

The physics of cold atoms has seen dramatic progress over the last two decades. The possibilities of controlling cold atoms associated with various measurements of high accuracy have allowed the development of matter-wave interferometer with a level of performance in terms of the measurement noise and long-term stability which makes them candidates for a technological breakthrough in the field of inertial sensors. Today, significant technological developments have been made and allowed to place on the market gravimeters and clocks for "static" long-term measurements. However, the use of inertial sensors with cold atoms in navigation and positioning still needs to solve many scientific and technological challenges such as embeddability and compactness, continuity of the measurement, the operation in real environmental conditions and in the presence of other measuring instruments.
The joint laboratory iQNav combines the expertise of a French SME with very high technological added value - iXBlue, specialized in photonics and high performance inertial navigation - and a laboratory specialized in atom interferometry at the highest level - the LP2N whose recent work has led to the development of a field quantum gravity meter, the first demonstration of inertial measurement by an airborne accelerometer and the development of a large equipment for geophysics .
The goal of iQNav is to lead technological breakthrough using cold atom physics to develop the next generation of inertial systems for industry, aerospace and defense with an expected gain in the performance by several orders of magnitude. The futures market weights more than one hundred million euros a year. To achieve this ambitious goal, the scientific program of the joint laboratory is divided into three areas of research that are then combined in order to realize of a cold-atom inertial system:
- Hybrid photonic components and integrated electro-optical functions in compact embeddable devices.
- Matter-wave multi-axis Inertial Sensors.
- Data fusion between quantum and classical sensors
Upstream the ultimate goal of achieving a complete inertial system using the physics of cold atoms, each of these areas of research will open opportunities in other markets already addressed by iXBlue or in combination with existing inertial systems in its product line.
The laboratory, which program will continue beyond the initial period of three years, will be physically installed in the laboratory of the Institute of Optics in Talence and will also use the means of production, qualification and tests of iXBlue, allowing quick access to the means necessary to achieve inertial class matter-wave sensors.
The joint laboratory will benefit from a "dynamics of innovation" instilled by the research partnership already entrenched in the laboratory and by the training activities in innovation at IOGS. It will also benefit from the market knowledge by iXBlue to find creative solutions.