G&H have successfully won funding for involvement in two projects, REVEAL and CASPA, in the commercialization of quantum technologies competition supported by Innovate UK and the UK National Quantum Technologies Programme.
The aim of REVEAL is to develop a quantum gravity sensor based on a cold atom interferometer for underground surveying in civil engineering projects. The project partners are e2v technologies Ltd, RSK and the University of Birmingham.
The aim of CASPA (Cold Atom Space Payload) is to develop a CubeSat compatible payload capable of producing cold atoms in space. Demonstrating this new technology in space is a vital first step towards realizing real instruments that are capable of mapping tiny changes in the strength of gravity across the surface of the earth which could be used for resource exploration or to monitor of changes in polar ice mass, ocean currents and sea level. Similar technology will also be used for deep space navigation and for providing higher precision timing sources for next generation global positioning system (GPS). The project partners are e2v technologies Ltd, ClydeSpace, XCAM, Covesion, the University of Birmingham and the University of Southampton.
The award of funding for the two new projects coincided with the UK National Quantum Technologies (QT) conference and exhibition. G&H together with partners e2v and the University of Birmingham exhibited a cold atom rubidium magneto-optical trap (Rb MOT) developed in the FreezeRay project. FreezeRay is a collaborative project supported by Innovate UK. The showcase was very well attended, twice oversubscribed in fact, and provided a great opportunity for the QT community to demonstrate the excellent work which is being done, by both industry and academia, as a result of the Government’s commitment to support the development of quantum technologies through the UK National Quantum Technologies Programme.
“Fiber lasers are at the heart of both projects. G&H’s expertise in fiber laser systems and control technology is fundamental to the effective practical deployment of cold atom technology”, Dr. Andrew Robertson G&H VP Business Development and Head of the Systems Technology Group
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