Operating the Absolute Quantum Gravimeter outside of the laboratory
- 1Muquans, Talence, France (jean.lautier@muquans.com)
- 2LNE-SYRTE, Observatoire de Paris, Université PSL, CNRS, Sorbonne Université , Paris, France
- 3LP2N, Institut d’Optique d’Aquitaine, Bordeaux, France
The Absolute Quantum Gravimeter (AQG) is the world’s first industrial gravimeter measuring g with laser-cooled atoms [1]. Today, several units have already been delivered to end-users.
After reviewing the key principles of the AQG, we will discuss the demonstrated measurement performances of the AQG in terms of sensitivity, stability and repeatability. In particular, we report on a reproducible sensitivity to gravity at a level of 1 μGal in various types of environment (1 µGal = 1e-8 m/s2 ~ 1e-9 g). We will also present our on-going efforts towards the thorough understanding of the uncertainty budget (accuracy) of the sensor. Finally, we will share the experience that we have acquired over the past years regarding the operability of the AQG, with a specific focus on the field version of the sensor.
This new type of gravimeter is presently the only technology that allows for continuous drift-free monitoring of gravity over timescales from a few minutes to several months, which opens new perspectives for the investigation of both spatial and temporal gravity variations [2]. The AQG has been developed by Muquans in collaboration with academic laboratories LP2N and LNE-SYRTE, and RESIF (the French Seismologic and Geodetic Network, [3]).
[1] V. Ménoret et al., "Gravity measurements below 10−9 g with a transportable absolute quantum gravimeter", Nature Scientific Reports, vol. 8, 12300 (2018)
[2] M. Van Camp, O. de Viron, A. Watlet, B. Meurers, O. Francis, C. Caudron, "Geophysics from terrestrial time-variable gravity measurements", Rev. Geophys. (2017).
[3] http://www.resif.fr/
How to cite: Vermeulen, P., Antoni-Micollier, L., Mazzoni, T., Condon, G., Ménoret, V., Janvier, C., Desruelle, B., Landragin, A., Lautier-Gaud, J., and Bouyer, P.: Operating the Absolute Quantum Gravimeter outside of the laboratory, EGU General Assembly 2020, Online, 4–8 May 2020, EGU2020-8969, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-8969, 2020.
