Development of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Gyroscopes

This project concerns the development of a compact NMR gyroscope based on an alkali vapour/gas cell of Caesium, Xenon-129, Xenon-131, and buffer gases.

It serves as part of a wider "Hybrid Atomic Gyroscope" project, and will be integrated with a second gyroscope based on guided atom interferometry and the Sagnac effect.

The rotation rate of the device will be determined from the apparent precession frequency of the two Xenon isotopes. They precess in opposite directions, allowing fluctuations in the ambient magnetic field to be cancelled out.

The Caesium atoms will be used to spin-polarise the gases in the vapour cell through spin-exchange optical pumping. By exploiting the Faraday effect, the Caesium can also be used as a high-sensitivity magnetometer for measuring the precession of the Xenon.

Experiments on a table-top setup will be used to characterise the spin-exchange optical pumping and Xenon relaxation time. Furthermore, theoretical investigations will be carried out to optimise parameters such as the gas mixture and vapour pressure. There will also be a focus on developing new read-out methods and minimising the impact of ambient magnetic field noise.

A compact version of the NMR gyroscope will then be developed for testing on a rotating platform, and its performance, i.e. the angular random walk and bias instability, will be characterised.