Q-NAV: Quantum Enhanced Inertial Navigation Systems

Accurate positioning and navigation are essential for the functioning of modern infrastructure and are usually provided by Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) such as GPS. This occurs to such an extent that GNSS is often described as the 'invisible utility'. However, our current overreliance on GNSS creates a large single point of failure and is therefore of significant national concern.

Prior to GNSS, inertial navigation systems (INS) were the standard for navigation. The accuracy of an INS depends critically on the sensitivity and noise performance of its inertial sensors, and they are currently used as backup for GNSS.

By exploiting quantum superposition, atomic interferometers have been pushing the limits of inertial sensor noise and stability for the last decade in laboratories. However, they have not yet been demonstrated fully in the field, and do not currently have sufficient performance characteristics for a complete INS solution. Instead, early systems will use fusion of quantum and classical inertial sensors to enhance the performance in a so-called quantum-enhanced INS (Q-INS).

The Q-NAV project aims to tackle the core challenges that currently stand in the way of achieving a Q-INS, as well as establishing a UK capability in the future manufacturing of Q-INSs and their subsystems. Successful completion of the project will pave the way toward deployable quantum-enhanced inertial navigation systems which can be used to provide secure positioning and navigation capability for the UK.