CU Technology and Discovery News

New quantum navigation device uses atoms to measure acceleration in 3D

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Wed, 11 Jun 2025 20:23:13 +0000

New quantum navigation device uses atoms to measure acceleration in 3D Daniel Corbin … Wed, 06/11/2025 - 14:23

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This article was published at colorado.edu/today

In a new study, physicists at the University of Colorado 51��ý have used a cloud of atoms chilled down to incredibly cold temperatures to simultaneously measure acceleration in three dimensions—a feat that many scientists didn’t think was possible.

The device, a new type of atom “interferometer,” could one day help people navigate submarines, spacecraft, cars and other vehicles more precisely.

“Traditional atom interferometers can only measure acceleration in a single dimension, but we live within a three-dimensional world,” said Kendall Mehling, a co-author of the new study and a graduate student in the Department of Physics at CU 51��ý. “To know where I'm going, and to know where I’ve been, I need to track my acceleration in all three dimensions.”

The researchers published their paper, titled “Vector atom accelerometry in an optical lattice,” this month in the journal Science Advances. The team included Mehling; Catie LeDesma, a postdoctoral researcher in physics; and Murray Holland, professor of physics and fellow of JILA, a joint research institute between CU 51��ý and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

In 2023, NASA awarded the CU 51��ý researchers a $5.5 million grant through the agency’s Quantum Pathways Institute to continue developing the sensor technology.

The new device is a marvel of engineering: Holland and his colleagues employ six lasers as thin as a human hair to pin a cloud of tens of thousands of rubidium atoms in place. Then, with help from artificial intelligence, they manipulate those lasers in complex patterns—allowing the team to measure the behavior of the atoms as they react to small accelerations, like pressing the gas pedal down in your car.

Today, most vehicles track acceleration using GPS and traditional, or “classical,” electronic devices known as accelerometers. The team’s quantum device has a long way to go before it can compete with these tools. But the researchers see a lot of promise for navigation technology based on atoms.

“If you leave a classical sensor out in different environments for years, it will age and decay,” Mehling said. “The springs in your clock will change and warp. Atoms don’t age.”

CU 51��ý Today—In a new study, physicists at the University of Colorado 51��ý have used a cloud of atoms chilled down to incredibly cold temperatures to simultaneously measure acceleration in three dimensions—a feat that many scientists didn’t think was possible. The device, a new type of atom “interferometer,” could one day help people navigate submarines, spacecraft, cars and other vehicles more precisely.

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Tiny robot team could be a gamechanger for safety inspections

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Wed, 21 May 2025 16:58:14 +0000

Tiny robot team could be a gamechanger for safety inspections Daniel Corbin … Wed, 05/21/2025 - 10:58

CU 51��ý Paul M. Rady Mechanical Engineering—CU 51��ý engineers have developed a team of palm-sized robots designed to work together to inspect and monitor dangerous environments like ship ballast tanks and storage vessels. The innovation could transform industrial safety by reducing human risk and enabling faster, more efficient inspections.

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WATCH: Twin CU Denver sisters develop tool to help users outsmart phishing scams

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Thu, 01 May 2025 21:26:31 +0000

WATCH: Twin CU Denver sisters develop tool to help users outsmart phishing scams Daniel Corbin … Thu, 05/01/2025 - 15:26

Denver7—As phishing scams continue to rise, two graduating sisters from CU Denver are turning their capstone project into a tool to help people avoid phishing scams.

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WATCH: CU 51��ý researchers building shape-shifting robots

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 21:46:01 +0000

WATCH: CU 51��ý researchers building shape-shifting robots Daniel Corbin … Tue, 04/29/2025 - 15:46

FOX31—Kaushik Jayaram (CU 51��ý Paul M. Rady Mechanical Engineering) received more than $1 million in grants to build shape-shifting robots the size of an insect.

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Aircrafts of the future: Boosting aerodynamic performance by engineered surface vibrations

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Mon, 24 Mar 2025 19:17:16 +0000

Aircrafts of the future: Boosting aerodynamic performance by engineered surface vibrations Daniel Corbin … Mon, 03/24/2025 - 13:17

CU 51��ý College of Engineering and Applied Science—As the principal investigator of a $7.5 million, five-year Department of Defense Office of Naval Research (ONR) Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI), Hussein is leading an effort to reshape the fundamental character of fluid-structure interactions to reduce drag on high-speed aerospace vehicles—the focus of the project.

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New technology turns waste heat into electricity, defies physical limit

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Mon, 17 Feb 2025 19:51:59 +0000

New technology turns waste heat into electricity, defies physical limit Daniel Corbin … Mon, 02/17/2025 - 12:51

CU 51��ý College of Engineering and Applied Science—A team of engineers and material scientists in the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering at CU 51��ý has developed a new technology to turn thermal radiation into electricity in a way that literally teases the basic law of thermal physics.

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Venture Partners annual report highlights a record year for innovation

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Thu, 09 Jan 2025 13:06:32 +0000

Venture Partners annual report highlights a record year for innovation Daniel Corbin … Thu, 01/09/2025 - 06:06

FY 2023-24 was another tremendous year for innovation and entrepreneurship at the CU. University researchers, inventors and creators began working with Venture Partners at CU 51��ý to advance 144 breakthrough innovations, and 36 CU startups were launched through Venture Partners based on campus discoveries.

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A vaccine against weight gain? It’s on the horizon

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Tue, 07 Jan 2025 18:53:52 +0000

A vaccine against weight gain? It’s on the horizon Daniel Corbin … Tue, 01/07/2025 - 11:53

New CU 51��ý research suggests a surprising tool that could help with weight loss: Exposure to beneficial bacteria. With assistance from Venture Partners, a new startup Kioga will pursue new microbe-based ingredients for preventing weight gain and promoting health.

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Colorado’s life sciences ecosystem raised $1.47 billion in 2023

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Sat, 21 Dec 2024 20:22:37 +0000

Colorado’s life sciences ecosystem raised $1.47 billion in 2023 Daniel Corbin … Sat, 12/21/2024 - 13:22

Colorado Bioscience Association—Colorado's life sciences ecosystem raised $1.47 billion in 2023, demonstrating the resilience of life sciences companies and organizations in the state during a challenging year for U.S. life sciences fundraising.

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Innovative Wind Turbine Control Earns Lucy Pao Prestigious IEEE Award

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Thu, 19 Dec 2024 19:46:42 +0000

Innovative Wind Turbine Control Earns Lucy Pao Prestigious IEEE Award Daniel Corbin … Thu, 12/19/2024 - 12:46

Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute—Model Predictive Control (MPC) is an established control technique that is popular in the general control systems community. The MPC approach could have significant impacts on how wind turbines are controlled, not only improving their efficiency, but also reducing structural stress on the turbines and extending their lifetimes.

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CU Technology and Discovery News

New quantum navigation device uses atoms to measure acceleration in 3D

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Tiny robot team could be a gamechanger for safety inspections

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WATCH: Twin CU Denver sisters develop tool to help users outsmart phishing scams

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WATCH: CU 51��ý researchers building shape-shifting robots

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Aircrafts of the future: Boosting aerodynamic performance by engineered surface vibrations

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​New technology turns waste heat into electricity, defies physical limit

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Venture Partners annual report highlights a record year for innovation

Off

A vaccine against weight gain? It’s on the horizon

Off

Colorado’s life sciences ecosystem raised $1.47 billion in 2023

Off

Innovative Wind Turbine Control Earns Lucy Pao Prestigious IEEE Award

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New technology turns waste heat into electricity, defies physical limit