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Atomic physics

Collisions give sense of direction

Nature Physics volume 2, pages 17–18 (2006)Cite this article

The ability to measure small or slow rotations relative to an inertial frame is valuable in navigation as well as in fundamental physics. A device that exploits techniques developed in atomic physics could lead to sensitive and compact rotation sensors.

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Figure 1: The two-species spin gyroscope developed at Princeton University uses a self-compensating helium-3 co-magnetometer to shield the co-located potassium atoms from external magnetic fields.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Draper Laboratories, Cambridge, 02139, Massachusetts, USA

    Richard Stoner

  2. Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, 02138, Massachusetts, USA

    Ronald Walsworth

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  1. Richard Stoner
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  2. Ronald Walsworth
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Stoner, R., Walsworth, R. Collisions give sense of direction. Nature Phys 2, 17–18 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/nphys204

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