TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Sensors, Electronics

ACQUISITION PROGRAM: PMA-264 Air Anti-Submarine Warfare Systems, ACAT IV

The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals, their country of origin, and what tasks each would accomplish in the statement of work in accordance with section 3.5.b.(7) of the solicitation.

OBJECTIVE: To develop compact, robust sources of ultracold atoms for use in an atomic frequency standard magnetometer, matter-wave interferometer or other sensor devices.

DESCRIPTION: Ultracold atoms are the vehicle of choice for precise measurements of frequencies, and related applications such as atomic clocks, precision inertial navigation systems, and magnetic and gravitational sensors. By and large, present implementation of ultracold atom devices is on a platform such as a standard laboratory optical table (1 meter x 2 meter). This topic seeks concepts and prototypes for devices that can produce useful samples of ultracold atoms in a much smaller package, which could be preloaded and taken into the field. Such a source might, for example, consist of a relatively small vacuum cell - say the size of a standard 20 oz. disposable drink cup, which contains an atomic vapor source and various magnetic or optical configurations needed to perform laser or evaporative cooling of the vapor. However any other concept which delivers the same ultracold atom functionality would be acceptable.

Ranking factors for proposals on this topic include the likely performance of the device on the following five figures of merit :
1) Lowest temperature of gas attainable in the device.
2) Highest quantum phase-space density attainable in the device.
3) Total number of atoms with temperature less than one microkelvin that can be produced at any given time.
4) Likely ease of manufacture of eventually optimized prototype.
5) Likely robustness of eventually optimized prototype.

PHASE I: A minimum effort would deliver working drawings of a prototype device, along with laboratory reports demonstrating feasibility of the concept. A highly successful effort would deliver an operational prototype in which quantitative measurements have been made of some of the five above-mentioned figures of merit.

PHASE II: Phase II should result in a working prototype of the device designed or developed in Phase I. A highly successful effort would deliver an optimized prototype, of which multiple copies could be made at low cost and with high uniformity of performance, for testing among the technical user community.

PHASE III: Depending upon contractor performance in Phase II, the Government could elect to have manufactured a relatively small number of these devices for testing or intercomparison standards, or to solicit high-volume manufacturing of an OEM-type package such as a compact atomic frequency standard.

PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIAL POTENTIAL/DUAL-USE APPLICATIONS: The atomic frequency standards industry would be the immediate beneficiary of a successful research effort in this area, as it would enhance the capabilities of existing atomic frequency standards. Over the longer term, this technology might lead to personal precision navigation systems. At this stage, military applications are by far the principal beneficiary of technology developments in this area.

REFERENCES:
1. "Magnetic microtraps for ultracold atoms," József Fortágh and Claus Zimmermann, Rev. Mod. Phys. 79, 235 (2007)

2. "Fully permanent magnet atom chip for Bose-Einstein condensation," T. Fernholz, R. Gerritsma, S. Whitlock, I. Barb, and R. J. C. Spreeuw, Phys. Rev. A 77, 033409 (2008)

3. "Multilayer atom chips for versatile atom micromanipulation," M. Trinker, et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 92, 254102 (2008)

KEYWORDS: atomic clock; magnetometer; cold atom; Bose-Einstein condensate; gravimeter; vacuum chamber

** TOPIC AUTHOR (TPOC) **

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