Jump to content

File:Atom interferometer.jpg

Page contents not supported in other languages.
This is a file from the Wikimedia Commons
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Original file (4,928 × 3,280 pixels, file size: 3.2 MB, MIME type: image/jpeg)

Summary

Description
English: A commercially available ‘atom interferometer’ – exploiting clouds of ultra-cold atoms to make extremely precise measurements of variations in local gravity – on show during ESA’s inaugural Quantum Technology workshop.

“We’ve been looking at applying the latest quantum technology to space,” explains ESA’s Bruno Leone. “Quantum physics is still regarded as abstract, but products based on its effects are commonplace today, such as microprocessors, solid-state imaging devices and lasers.

“What we’re interested in harnessing more advanced, subtle, aspects of quantum mechanics, including superposition and entanglement, made feasible by recent advances in experimental techniques and equipment.”

This desk-sized atom interferometer, produced by M Squared in the UK, is one example. Finely tuned laser beams confine clumps of atoms kept cooled close to absolute zero. Like ripples meeting on a pond, their resulting interference patterns can highlight tiny changes in the surrounding environment.

Topics at last week’s event included ultra-accurate quantum-based measuring devices and clocks for space and wider commercialisation of the underlying technologies.

Also discussed was ‘quantum teleportation’: in 2012 ESA’s observatory in the Canary Islands helped to set a distance world record by reproducing the characteristics of a light particle across 143 km of open air.

Credit: ESA–G. Porter CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO
Date
Source https://www.flickr.com/photos/europeanspaceagency/25389377749/
Author European Space Agency

Licensing

w:en:Creative Commons
attribution share alike
This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.
You are free:
  • to share – to copy, distribute and transmit the work
  • to remix – to adapt the work
Under the following conditions:
  • attribution – You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
  • share alike – If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same or compatible license as the original.
This image was originally posted to Flickr by europeanspaceagency at https://flickr.com/photos/37472264@N04/25389377749. It was reviewed on 23 July 2020 by FlickreviewR 2 and was confirmed to be licensed under the terms of the cc-by-sa-2.0.

23 July 2020

Captions

Atom interferometer

Items portrayed in this file

depicts

9 November 2016

0.01666666666666666666 second

35 millimetre

image/jpeg

23e28127df6d47c16eef432ccd10957885ea1e2a

3,358,128 byte

3,280 pixel

4,928 pixel

File history

Click on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time.

Date/TimeThumbnailDimensionsUserComment
current08:41, 23 July 2020Thumbnail for version as of 08:41, 23 July 20204,928 × 3,280 (3.2 MB)EupphyvvwUploaded a work by European Space Agency from https://www.flickr.com/photos/europeanspaceagency/25389377749/ with UploadWizard

The following page uses this file:

Global file usage

The following other wikis use this file:

Metadata