Quantum sensors for gravimetry and gravity gradiometry

Quantum sensors utilising atom interferometry enable absolute measurements of gravity (1) and gravity gradients (2). This contribution will introduce the operation principle of atom interferometers, discuss their current state of the art and limitations, and outline the key techniques for improvements. It will report on our developments for transportable (3) and stationary high-perfomance devices (4) and give a perspective for space-borne quantum sensors in the frame of geodetic missions (5).
The presented work is supported by the CRC 1227 DQmat within the project B07, the German Space Agency (DLR) with funds provided by the Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) due to an enactment of the German Bundestag under Grant No. DLR 50WP1700, 50WM1952, by "Niedersächsisches Vorab" through "Förderung von Wissenschaft und Technik in Forschung und Lehre" for the initial funding of research in the new DLR-SI Institute, and through the "Quantum and Nano- Metrology (QUANOMET)" initiative within the project QT3.

(1) V. Ménoret et al., Scientific Reports 8, 12300, 2018; A. Trimeche et al., Phys. Rev. Appl. 7, 034016, 2017; C. Freier et al., J. of Phys.: Conf. Series 723, 012050, 2016; A. Louchet-Chauvet et al., New J. Phys. 13, 065026, 2011; A. Peters et al., Nature 400, 849, 1999.
(2) P. Asenbaum et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 118, 183602, 2017; G. Rosi et al., Nature 510, 518, 2014; J. M. McGuirk et al., Phys. Rev. A 65, 033608, 2002.
(3) S. Abend et al., Proceedings of the International School of Physics "Enrico Fermi" 197, 393, 2019; S. Abend et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 117, 203003, 2016.
(4) D. Schlippert et al., arXiv:1909.08524; J. Hartwig et al., New J. Phys. 17, 035011, 2015.
(5) A. Trimeche et al., Class. Quantum Grav. 36, 215004, 2019; K. Douch et al., Adv. Space. Res. 61, 1301, 2018.