Quantum Sensors for National Security
ABSTRACT
Quantum sensors have seen a dramatic surge in investment. The National Quantum Initiative allocated $1.2 billion to advance quantum technology. The Defense Science Board “Applications of Quantum Technologies” report advised that the department establish an atomic clock program worth $100-$200 million and a quantum inertial navigation program worth $300-$400 million. Every year, DARPA and the branch research organizations announce multiple $10-$50 million programs in quantum gravimetry, electromagnetic sensing, and enabling technologies.
This growth reflects the increasing maturity and disruptive capabilities of quantum sensors. Several are either commercial products or undergoing field trials in realistic environments.
This talk will review these higher maturity sensors and the primary applications they were developed to address. A special focus will be placed on clocks, inertial devices, magnetometers, and RF receivers.
BIOGRAPHY
Dr. Eric Imhof leads quantum sensor development at Northrop Grumman. His team builds atomic clocks, matter-wave and NMR inertial systems, spin-polarized magnetometers, and Rydberg RF receivers.
Dr. Imhof was principal investigator on the DARPA Quantum Apertures program and team lead for the DARPA Atomic-Photonic Integration program. He was elected Chairman of the Quantum for National Security Committee of the Quantum Economic Development Consortium, an international organization of government, corporate, and academic stakeholders working to grow the quantum industry.
Dr. Imhof received his PhD in Applied Physics from the US Air Force Institute of Technology. Prior to joining Northrop Grumman, he worked at the Air Force Research Laboratory and the Space Dynamics Laboratory, the university-affiliated research center of the Missile Defense Agency. His most recent publications appear in the Journal of Applied Physics and Physical Review Applied.