Researchers to test limits of quantum technologies with nanoparticles in space

(CN) — The future of satellite technology took a leap forward while scaling down in size on Wednesday after researchers from the United Kingdom announced plans to test nanoparticles as state-of-the-art sensors for compact satellites called “CubeSats.”

The announcement comes from the University of Warwick in England, which joins the Universities of Swansea and Strathclyde in receiving over $319,000 from the UK Space Agency to expand research into space technologies utilizing quantum physics and nanoparticles — two features with the potential to drastically reduce the size of satellites while lowering development and launch costs.

“I am thrilled to lead this UKSA project, which will create the necessary technologies to establish a functioning sensing platform for both space and terrestrial applications,” said James Bateman of the University of Swansea physics department, in a statement. “Our team is comprised of experts in nanosatellites, quantum sensing and experimental optomechanics, and this project will help to make levitated optomechanical sensors a reality.”

Though seemingly complicated, nanoparticles are simply particles that are a thousand times larger than an atom and a thousand times smaller than a grain of sand. What is more complex, however, is how previous research involving levitated optomechanics — a field that deals with the motion of tiny particles held and measured in free space by laser light — has indicated that nanoparticles can exhibit behaviors governed by the laws of quantum mechanics, a theory that describes how atoms and subatomic particles interact.

For the first time, scientists will now attempt to apply nanoparticle research to modern technologies through “Levitated Optomechanical Technologies in Space” or “LOTIS,” an 18-month project with an ambitious goal of utilizing nanoparticles as sensors for space-born devices. Such devices would be small, lightweight and capable of fitting shoebox-sized nanosatellites known as CubeSats, offering scientists a variety of exploratory applications, whether it be for spaceflight or geophysics.

For instance, while little is currently known about the density of Earth’s thermosphere, nanoparticle sensors could help scientists understand the drag satellites experience and more accurately map their trajectories. The sensors would also be useful for devices known as gravimeters that measure gravitational fields, which are used in civil engineering for mapping objects underground.

“We are developing highly sensitive sensors for satellites which are greatly reduced in size and able to perform measurements of the space environment,” said Daniel Oi, a quantum theorist from the University of Strathclyde, in a statement. “This is part of a wider, international quantum technology program which will extend its applications from Earth and space bound applications.”

The LOTIS project also plans to support technologies for the proposed macroscopic quantum resonators mission or “MAQRO,” which intends to test predictions of quantum mechanics of increasingly larger objects with greater masses. Such findings, researchers say, will help validate the field of quantum mechanics, as it typically describes the behavior of smaller objects, atoms and subatomic particles.

“LOTIS is a concrete step towards the realization of a new generation of experiments that will help shed light on the interface of quantum mechanics and gravity,” said Animesh Datta, a professor of theoretical physics at the University of Warwick, in a statement. “I look forward to contributing to its success.”

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