PASADENA, Calif. - The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Cold Atom Lab, an innovative facility aboard the International Space Station (ISS), is pushing the boundaries of quantum science in space. Recently, the lab's research team achieved a significant milestone by measuring subtle vibrations of the space station using ultra-cold atoms. This marks the first instance where such atoms have been utilized to detect environmental changes in space.
A study published on 13 August in Nature Communications highlights this breakthrough and reports the longest demonstration of atoms displaying wave-like behavior during freefall in space. This achievement underscores the potential of the Cold Atom Lab to further quantum science in ways that were previously thought to be impossible in the space environment.
The team conducted these measurements using an atom interferometer, a quantum device that can accurately detect forces such as gravity and magnetic fields. On Earth, atom interferometry is employed to explore fundamental forces like gravity and has practical uses in technologies for navigation. While quantum science has already been pivotal in the development of technologies like cell phones and GPS, atom interferometry remains a largely untapped field with considerable promise.
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Physicists have long been interested in applying atom interferometry in space, where the microgravity environment allows for longer measurement durations and increased sensitivity. Despite concerns about the delicate nature of this equipment, the Cold Atom Lab, operated remotely from Earth, has proven that such quantum tools can function effectively in space over extended periods.
The precision sensors used in space-based gravity measurements, such as those in the Cold Atom Lab, offer numerous potential applications. For example, they could be used to study the composition of planets and moons by detecting slight variations in gravity that correspond to differences in material density.
The GRACE-FO (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-on) mission, a collaboration between the U.S. and Germany, already monitors changes in Earth’s gravity to track water and ice movements. An atom interferometer could enhance these measurements, offering greater precision and stability to reveal even finer details about surface mass changes.
