The British aircraft carriers will use quantum technology for the first time in military exercises

The Royal Navy announced that the aircraft carrier Prince of Wales will travel to Norway today to participate in 28 nation Arctic military exercises and will use quantum technology, a highly accurate atomic clock, for the first time.

It is said that this device (about the size of a typical laptop) provides a highly accurate time signal. If the signal of global satellite navigation system such as GPS fails, it will allow the ship's complex combat system to synchronize.

Time signal is very important for warships. Mastering accurate information will help warships keep safe when working at sea. However, if a system such as GPS fails or is unavailable, relying on it will bring problems, so the introduction of quantum technology provides reliable support.

The Royal Navy worked closely with BP and Teledyne e2v to apply quantum technology to the aircraft carrier Prince of Wales. Lieutenant Colonel Scott Wallace, chief technology officer of the Royal Navy office, said: "the Royal Navy, BP and Teledyne have proved that bringing together customers, industries and experts can accelerate the development of sovereign technology for the benefit of the country."

"Putting leading quantum devices on the front line is a game changer for the UK," he said.

The accelerated use of atomic clocks is due to the Royal Navy's desire to reduce its reliance on GPS, the first time the technology has been used on surface ships. The system has achieved a significant reduction in size and may be used by other ships in the fleet and backpacks carried by Royal Marine commandos.

The test of this technology will lay the foundation for the realization of quantum navigation. Due to the defects of global satellite navigation system, such as electromagnetic wave is vulnerable to interference, there is nothing to do underwater, deep in dense forests, underground and places covered by obstacles. When it is unable to receive satellite signals, it can only rely on inertial navigation system (INS), but at present, the traditional inertial navigation system faces the problems of huge volume and low accuracy. Therefore, the armies of various countries are developing navigation systems based on quantum technology. As an important part of quantum navigation system, atomic clock can improve positioning and navigation accuracy and reduce long-term drift error.

According to the recent photos released by the Royal Navy, this equipment is a minac (abbreviation of micro atomic clock) system developed by Teledyne e2v company. It is a cesium atomic clock, which aims to provide one trillion of frequency accuracy and stability. Its application fields include telecommunications, broadcasting, public utilities, finance, transportation, aerospace, national defense and so on. The National Physical Laboratory (NPL) has provided technical support.

The UK is a leader in the field of quantum sensors

In the UK National quantum technology program (nqtp) launched in 2014, quantum precision measurement or sensing is a key technology developed in the UK. The quantum sensing and measurement center led by the University of Birmingham is one of the four quantum technology centers initially established by nqtp.

So far, the UK has made many important achievements in the field of quantum sensing.

In 2014, the UK defense science and Technology Laboratory (dstl) began to study an accelerometer based on ultracold atoms, which was directly named QPS.

The principle of dstl accelerometer is that the laser captures the atomic cloud in vacuum and cools it to a temperature of less than 1 degree above absolute zero (- 273.15 ℃). At ultra-low temperature, the atom will become a quantum state, which is easily disturbed by external forces. At this time, another laser is used to track and monitor the changes caused by interference, and the external force can be calculated.

In November 2018, Imperial College London and M squared launched the first quantum accelerometer for navigation in the UK. The accuracy is 1000 times higher than that of the traditional accelerometer. As part of the submarine quantum navigation system, the volume is only the size of a shoebox.

In the field of magnetic measurement, the University of Nottingham has developed a portable and wearable helmet magnetoencephalogram scanner. In order to work at low temperature, the traditional magnetoencephalogram scanner needs supporting cooling equipment, which is bulky and expensive. The new magnetoencephalogram scanner uses technologies such as quantum sensors, which has higher sensitivity and almost does not need cooling. At present, Cerca magnetics has made it a product.

In the field of gravimetry, the University of Birmingham developed wee in 2018_ G's quantum gravity gradiometer prototype. In February this year, Birmingham University applied its quantum gravity gradiometer to the outdoor environment for the first time. RSK, dstl and Teledyne e2v are partners of UK sustainable development solution providers.

The team said that this is the world's first quantum gravity gradiometer applied outside laboratory conditions, which can detect a tunnel one meter below the road.

Once the equipment is commercialized, it will bring great value. According to the quantum report released by the British government, infrastructure maintenance in the UK needs to spend £ 5 billion a year to dig 4 million holes in the road. The reason for doing so is that people don't know the specific location of underground facilities. The quantum gravimeter can help the construction industry determine the detailed conditions underground, reduce project delays caused by accidental hazards, and get rid of the dependence on expensive exploration and excavation. Specific applications include:

Reduce the cost and delay of construction, railway and highway projects.

Improve the prediction of natural phenomena such as volcanic eruptions.

Discover hidden natural resources and architectural structures.

Understand archaeological secrets without destroying the excavation.

In addition, it may also play an important role in the field of aviation. For example, installed on earth observation satellites, NASA can be used to measure the impact of groundwater, ocean circulation and hidden systems on climate change. Their exploration of the inner structure of the solar system may even expand to other planets. NASA has completed this work. In the Grail mission, it launched a gravimeter into space, mapped the gravity field of the moon and observed the situation under the lunar surface.

Although not using a more advanced quantum gravimeter, it still allows astronomers to observe all layers of the moon's interior with unprecedented accuracy, and even reveals what may be underground caves. If these new gravimeters go into space, they may be used to find evidence of groundwater on the moon or Mars.