AeroQGrav: Absolute Aero Quantum Gravimetry

Abstract

Various efforts have been made to map out the global gravity field of the earth with terrestrial measurements as well as satellite missions. The applications of gravimetric measurements include searching for raw material deposits, determining ocean currents or defining reference systems. A method to close the gap between measurements with stationary terrestrial and spaceborne sensors is airborne gravimetry. Here, quantum sensors based on the principle of atom interferometry offer the perspective for improvements leading to drift-free or even absolute measurements. Challenges are the dynamic environment and the interface requirements of the aircraft to which the sensor has to be adapted. Within the AeroQGrav consortium we aim for a compact sensor based on atom interferometry with a performance level of 1µm/s^2 over an averaging time of 5s and demonstrating its operation during a flight campaign. This contribution is going to introduce the concepts of the quantum sensor and the design of the sensor head. AeroQGrav is a collaborative research project of iMAR Navigation, Geo++, TU Braunschweig, Leibniz Universität Hannover, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Bundesamt für Karthographie und Geodäsie, TU Clausthal, and DLR, funded by the Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF), FKZ 13N16519.