Dual-Axis High-Data-Rate Atom Interferometer via Cold Ensemble Exchange

Atom interferometers use light to track the Doppler effect as ensembles of cold atoms such as ⁸⁷Rb travel ballistically in vacuum. These systems are used as ultrasensitive gravimeters and could also be exceptional broadband inertial sensors for vehicle navigation and guidance, but typically they are designed for a static laboratory environment. The authors present a compact atom interferometer that measures acceleration and rotation simultaneously and at a high rate, to be used in a dynamic environment for real-time integration of a vehicle's equations of motion.