Quantum sensors hold great promise, but the emerging technology is in need of standard guidance, greater investment, more early adopters, and a less fragmented and specialized supply chain, according to the Quantum Economic Development Consortium (QED-C), an industry group managed by non-profit research organization SRI International and supported by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology.
These findings and others were shared in the recently published report, “Quantum Sensing for Position, Navigation and Timing Use Cases.” The QED-C said in a statement this week that quantum sensors integrated into products like clocks, magnetometers, gravimeters, and inertial sensors, will improve position, navigation and timing (PNT) capabilities by offering levels of precision not possible with traditional sensors and navigation and timing devices and applications. Quantum sensors can leverage that principles of quantum mechanics to provide more accurate sensing and mapping data than classical sensors and GPS, and also are more resistant to spoofing and jamming.
“Quantum sensors have the potential to greatly enhance PNT capabilities by allowing them to function even when satellite-based systems like GPS are disrupted or unavailable. This will play a vital role in a range of situations,” said QED-C Executive Director Celia Merzbacher. “For example, quantum sensor-enhanced PNT can support underground operations such as mining and tunneling, warfighters in regions where signals are being jammed, or navigation in urban settings where buildings create GPS ‘dead zones’.”
Some of the use cases highlighted in the report include:
Magnetic navigation for resilient, unjammable PNT
Precision timing for space-based networks
- Small satellite orientation and alignment
- Battery optimization
- Biomarker detection
- Earthquake detection and prediction
- Undersea maintenance and protection
- Climate monitoring
- Tracking trains in tunnels
Companies such as Q-CTRL already have made progress incorporating quantum sensing technology into new products and applications, but the QED-C report suggested there are a few things limiting efforts to commercialize the technology. These include the fact that there is “significant variation in and specialization of the components needed for the different devices, such as lasers, NV centers in diamonds, and frequency combs. Each can have a wide range of specifications,” the report stated. “Moreover, even devices in a particular sensor category (e.g., clocks) can have vastly different requirements for their components, a sign of the relatively early stage of the technology and the highly competitive environment. The high degree of variability complicates the manufacturing process as it is difficult to standardize production and achieve economies of scale.”
This situation means the current supply chain for quantum sensors is very fragmented. The sector also for now lacks standards, technology validation testbeds, and enough early investment and adoption to get the market moving.
Among its recommendations, the QED-C is calling for more government investment in research and development around photonic integrated circuits (PIC). PICs comprise multiple photonic components integrated on a single platform or substrate. The development of PICs would hep reduce the size, weight, power, and cost of quantum sensors, as well as make them more robust and reliable, the QED-C said. The group also wants to see governments become early adopters of quantum sensing technology.