Software Ruggedized Atom Interferometry for Strapdown Mobile Quantum Inertial Sensing

Navigation systems based on quantum sensors are a viable alternative to use of GNSS, however their sensitivity to environmental effects makes deployment in harsh environments challenging. We present results demonstrating that software ruggedization techniques can mitigate these effects and enhance the performance of these systems in real-world environments. Here, we report world-first demonstrations of a dual quantum gravimeter operating in a relevant maritime environment, with an unattended uptime of >144 hours, as well as the first demonstrations of software ruggedized sensing in a real-world motional environment. We demonstrate recovery of signal due to software compensation of motion and a 2X contrast enhancement due to optimized velocity selection. In addition, we present a compact 3-axis quantum inertial sensor capable of high repetition rate operation in extremely harsh environments.