Gravity Field Mapping Using Laser Coupled Quantum Accelerometers in Space

Abstract

The emergence of quantum technologies, including cold atom based accelerometers, offers an opportunity to improve the performances of space geodesy missions. In this context, CNES initiated an assessment study called GRICE (GRadiométrie à Interféromètres quantiques Corrélés pour l'Espace) in order to evaluate the contribution of cold atom technologies to space geodesy and to the end users of geodetic data. In this paper, we present mission scenario for gravity field mapping based on a long baseline gradiometer. The mission is based on a constellation of two satellites, flying at an altitude of 373 km, each equipped with a cold atom accelerometer with a sensitivity of $6\times 10^{-10}$~m.s${}^{-2}$.${\tau }^{-1/2}$. A laser link measures the distance between the two satellites and couples these two instruments in order to produce a correlated differential acceleration measurement. The main parameters, determining the performances of the payload, have been investigated. We carried out a general study of satellite architecture and simulations of the mission performances in terms of restitution of the gravity field. The simulations show that this concept would give its best performance in terms of monthly gravity fields recovery under 1000~km resolution. In the resolution band between 1000 and 222~km, the improvement of the GRICE gradient approach over the traditional range-rate approach is globally in the order of 10 to 25\%.

References in corpus (19)

• Interferometry with Bose-Einstein Condensates in Microgravity
• Space-borne Bose-Einstein condensation for precision interferometry
• On orbit performance of the GRACE Follow-On Laser Ranging Interferometer
• Sensitivity limits of a Raman atom interferometer as a gravity gradiometer
• Matter wave lensing to picokelvin temperatures
• Dual Matter-Wave Inertial Sensors in Weightlessness
• Characterization and limits of a cold atom Sagnac interferometer
• Influence of the Coriolis force in atom interferometry
• Hybridizing matter-wave and classical accelerometers
• Enhancing the area of a Raman atom interferometer using a versatile double-diffraction technique
• A spaceborne gravity gradiometer concept based on cold atom interferometers for measuring Earth's gravity field
• Atom interferometric gravitational wave detection using heterodyne laser links
• Improving the accuracy of atom interferometers with ultracold sources
• Concept study and preliminary design of a cold atom interferometer for space gravity gradiometry
• A laser setup for rubidium cooling dedicated to space applications
• Design of a dual species atom interferometer for space
• PHARAO Laser Source Flight Model: Design and Performances
• Laser-Ranging Long Baseline Differential Atom Interferometers for Space
• Analysis of GRACE range-rate residuals with focus on KBR instrument system noise

Cited by in corpus (10)

• Airborne absolute gravimetry with a quantum sensor, comparison with classical technologies
• Private and Robust States for Distributed Quantum Sensing
• A high-flux cold-atom source utilising a grating atom chip
• SQUID-based interferometric accelerometer
• Application of Shaken Lattice Interferometry Based Sensors to Space Navigation
• Cold Atoms in Space: Community Workshop Summary and Proposed Road-Map
• Dual Open Atom Interferometry for Compact and Mobile Quantum Sensing
• An atomic Fabry-Perot interferometer-based acceleration sensor for microgravity environments
• Hybrid electrostatic-atomic accelerometer for future space gravity missions
• Quantum Physics in Space