"Tube trains of the future may soon know exactly where they are underground - even in places where GPS is blind - by tapping into the strange rules of the quantum world. Most modern tracking systems rely on satellites to pinpoint location, backed up by accelerometers that measure tiny movements between GPS updates. It works well enough above ground, but those accelerometers gradually drift, which is why they constantly need satellite corrections."
"Instead of relying on conventional sensors, these devices use clouds of atoms cooled to near absolute zero. At those temperatures, atoms start to behave strangely - acting as both particles and waves. As the atoms "fall" through a sensor, their wave patterns shift in response to acceleration. Using what's effectively an ultra-precise optical ruler, the system can read these changes with extraordinary accuracy, without needing satellites at all."
Quantum accelerometers use clouds of atoms cooled near absolute zero so the atoms act as both particles and waves. As the atoms fall through a sensor, their wave patterns shift in response to acceleration and an optical ruler reads those changes with extraordinary accuracy. Those sensors enable positioning underground and where GPS cannot reach, removing the need for satellite corrections between accelerometer updates. MoniRail received £1.25 million from the UK government's quantum technology programme to advance a Rail Quantum Inertial Navigation System (RQINS) roadmap for the London Underground and potentially the national rail network. Sensors also collect ride-quality data and flag emerging track faults in real time.
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