There’s news today that researchers at Australian National University are close to perfecting an atom laser that will emit a continuous stream of atoms for more precise navigation and measurement.
The atom laser is being incorporated into a gyroscope for testing against the standard light laser. This gyroscope would provide independent location measurements for satellites that are too far from Earth to use GPS.
The atom laser also has the potential for very accurate measurement of magnetic fields, electric fields, gravitational fields, rotations and accelerations. Applications range from medical research, mineral exploration and navigation on earth and in space.
A paper outlining the discovery appears in the latest issue of Nature Physics.
