T. Lévèque, C. Fallet, J. Lefebve, A. Piquereau, A. Gauguet, B. Battelier, P. Bouyer, N. Gaaloul, M. Lachmann, B. Piest, E. Rasel, J. Müller, C. Schubert, Q. Beaufils, F. Pereira Dos Santos
A strong potential gain for space applications is expected from the anticipated performances of inertial sensors based on cold atom interferometry (CAI) that measure the acceleration of freely falling independent atoms by manipulating them with laser light. In this context, CNES and its partners initiated a phase 0 study, called CARIOQA, in order to develop a Quantum Pathfinder Mission unlocking key features of atom interferometry for space and paving the way for future ambitious space missions utilizing this technology. As a cornerstone for the implementation of quantum sensors in space, the CARIOQA phase 0 aimed at defining the Quantum Pathfinder Mission’s scenario and associated performance objectives. To comply with these objectives, the payload architecture has been designed to achieve long interrogation time and active rotation compensation on a BEC-based atom interferometer. A study of the satellite architecture, including all the subsystems, has been conducted. Several technical solutions for propulsion and attitude control have been investigated in order to guarantee optimal operating conditions (limitation of micro-vibrations, maximization of measurement time). A preliminary design of the satellite platform was performed.
KEYWORDS: Chemical species, Interferometers, Solar system, Solar energy, Rockets, Interferometry, General relativity, Environmental sensing, Climatology
Dark energy constitutes ~70% of the universe, which explains the observed accelerated expansion of the universe. While little is known about the nature of dark energy, it is conjectured that it is a new scalar field that interacts normal matter at the cosmological scale. Recently, cold atom experiments in laboratory have contributed significantly on the constraints of chameleon and symmetron parameters. These experiments are currently limited by the knowledge of the Newtonian gravity of the test masses, and eventually by the uncertainty of the gravitational constant G.
In this talk, we will present a joint project between JPL and Leibniz University Hannover, in which atom interferometers will be implemented in the 4-second microgravity environment in the Einstein-Elevator facility at Hannover, Germany. We will illustrate the measurement concept for constraining dark energy models, and report the progress of the joint effort.
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