The “spooky action at a distance” that once unnerved Einstein may be on its way to being as pedestrian as the gyroscopes that currently measure acceleration in smartphones.
Quantum entanglement radically improves the precision of sensors that can be used to navigate without GPS, according to a new study in Nature Photonics.
“By exploiting entanglement, we improve both measurement sensitivity and how quickly we can make the measurement,” said Zheshen Zhang, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Michigan and co-corresponding author of the study. The experiments were done at the University of Arizona, where Zhang was working at the time.
Optomechanical sensors measure forces that disturb a sensing device that moves in response. That motion is then measured with light waves. In this experiment, the sensors were membranes, which act a bit like drum heads that vibrate after experiencing a push. Optomechanical sensors can function as accelerometers, which can be used for inertial navigation on a planet that doesn’t have GPS satellites or within a building as a person navigates different floors.
Read more at University of Michigan