'PAINTS: Commercialisation of a Practical Atom Interferometer for Sensing

In an atom interferometer, the atoms act as miniature test masses and are sensitive to gravity and motion. This is a
quantum technology as it relies on the interference of the atoms with each other, a manifestation of wave-particle duality,
i.e. the fact that matter can behave like a wave under certain circumstances; it is the quantum nature of the technique that
affords it great sensitivity. This project will, for the first time, demonstrate an atom interferometer in a UK commercial
environment. The expertise of M Squared Lasers in laser engineering and system integration will be combined with the
academic excellence of the University of Birmingham to create a collaborative team capable of delivering the proposed
commercial product. Gravitational sensors enable one to see through matter and below the ground. Applications can be
envisaged in many sectors, from the detection of new oil and gas deposits, surveying unknown underground infrastructure
such as pipes and cables, to monitoring the water table.

1. Quantum technologies (QT) are at the brink of revolutionising the world in many areas of our everyday lives. With
parallels to the replacement of analogue with digital electronics in the late 20th Century, quantum devices will supersede
digital in the future, leading to dramatic improvements in the capabilities of key technologies and industries. These include
atomic clocks (satellite-free navigation; finance), gravimeters (military; earth observation; prospecting) and
computing/secure communications (banking; military).
Having played a vital role in shaping the global scientific QT landscape for the last 8 years, M Squared Lasers (M2) is
uniquely placed to form the core of the national QT supply chain that the UK aims to establish by 2020. Building on their
track record of translating novel science into demanding markets, M2 will develop QT components, subsystems and
sensors that will enable a wide range of applications. Starting with the components and subsystem development (in line
with the UK roadmap), M2 will become increasingly vertically integrated as the QT initiative progresses.
One of the most sought after systems to emerge from QT are atom interferometers. These will build the foundations of
gravimeters and gyroscopes that are at the core of future gravitational telescopes and satellite-free navigators, both of
which are drivers that initially stimulated the UK QT initiative. Challenges that will be addressed include: the requirement to
improve submarine navigation to 100m accuracy over multiple months (currently 2km in 24 hours), the identification of
objects underground or behind walls and the increase in well yield to extend our fossil fuel reserves.
This project will enable M2 to become the first UK supplier of atom interferometers. To achieve this M2 is partnering with
Prof. Kai Bongs and the Birmingham QT Hub to exploit their expertise in atom interferometry. Supported by an already
established Knowledge Transfer Secondment between the two organisations, M2 will translate Prof. Bongs atom
interferometer system design into a commercial setting and develop it into a pre-prototype demonstrator. Building on an
already established design will greatly reduce the risk associated with the task at hand. Novel subcomponents, however, are crucial in working towards next generation atom interferometers. M2 is therefore submitting a number of proposals to
this call in collaboration with a number of diverse industrial and academic partners to develop these new subsystems. This
will include novel vacuum chambers, lasers, spectroscopy units and chip-based traps. In a way, albeit autonomous, this
project will act as a keystone project where the subsystem components delivered in the other projects will be evaluated on.
This will not only lead to the best possible atom interferometer prototype, but it also represents a major step in bringing UK
companies together and establish a national supply chain.
2. The system developed here will underpin a wide range of capabilities with compelling performance gains over existing
methods. This will include gravimeters and inertial sensors with unprecedented levels of accuracy/sensitivity that will open
a diverse range of applications and markets. At this point, these markets are not yet well defined, however in announcing
the UK Government's investment, Rt. Hon. David Willetts MP and Neil Stansfield (DSTL) state that quantum timing,
sensing and navigation in the public and defence sector could support multi-billion £ markets in the EU and globally. In an
attempt to calibrate the scale of the opportunity, M2 recently started an Innovate UK Smart Proof of Market study,
summarised below and detailed in Appendix A (AppA).