Kristen Smith
Leidos is developing a magnetic navigation capability that uses quantum technology as an alternative to the Global Positioning System signal, which is susceptible to jamming.
The work is under a Defense Innovation Unit contract and involves subcontractor Frequency Electronics and MIT Lincoln Lab, Leidos said Thursday.
Unlike GPS, MagNav has no signal to jam, explained Aaron Canciani, manager of the Leidos Transition of Quantum Sensing team.
“The one thing MagNav does need is a very sensitive magnetometer, which is where quantum comes in,” Canciani added.
Quantum Properties of Nitrogen-Vacancy Center in Diamonds
Leidos awarded Frequency Electronics a subcontract to develop a magnetometer that harnesses the quantum properties of nitrogen in diamonds.
“Quantum magnetometers have the potential to greatly increase position and attitude accuracies in magnetic navigation systems,” Canciani, a former Air Force scientist who is a pioneer of the MagNav technology, said, adding, “Nitrogen vacancy-diamond magnetometers use the crystal structure of a diamond to define a sensing axis in which quantum measurements of the complete vector field can be known to exquisite accuracies.”
He added that quantum magnetometers provide measurements linked to the magnetic field through fundamental physics-based constants, unlike classic magnetometers, which tend to drift due to reliance on relative measurements.
Leidos intends to fly a MagNav system with the new magnetometer to validate its potential to advance navigation technology for military use.
