The future is coming at us faster than even a science fiction writer can handle it. Sensors play a significant military role in my “Trogs” novel, to be published next week. But Trogs contains no mention of quantum sensors. Consider the X post above. The Pentagon, writes QuantumAnalysis, has launched Project Farseer with $200 million to push commercialization of:
- “Quantum clocks. Portable atomic clocks so precise a vehicle tracks its own position by timing alone. …
- “Quantum gravimeters. Every place on earth has a unique gravitational fingerprint. Read it, match it to a map, know where you are. Farseer’s spec: sensors under 20 kilograms, accurate enough to find things underground.
- “Quantum magnetometers. Navigate by the earth’s magnetic field. Detect submarines and buried structures by the field they disturb.
- “Rydberg atom sensors. Radios that use atoms instead of antennas, hearing the entire spectrum at once, through jamming.”
Knowing nothing about quantum clocks, I queried Copilot how they might work. GPS receivers use quartz clocks that drift quickly. To correct for the drift, GPS receivers must receive signals from at least four satellites (which carry more precise atomic clocks). With quantum clock navigation, a vehicle carries its own atomic clock. It measures location by measuring the “sent time” and the “return time” of a signal traveling at the speed of light to and from a satellite. Atomic clocks are so extraordinarily sensitive that they capture microsecond differences in that travel time. The nice thing (from a military perspective) about quantum clocks is that they are resistant to spoofing and jamming by adversaries.
Copilot on quantum gravimeters: Gravimeters are devices that use atom interferometry to measure the exact strength of local gravity, which varies by the density of material underground. For the purposes of envisioning the world of “Dust Mites,” this technology would work splendidly on the Moon. The Moon is more geologically stable than Earth, so there is less “noise.” The crust is more uniform, which makes anomalies stand out stronger. Plus, weaker gravity translates into longer atom free-fall time and increased precision. States Copilot: “Because lunar gravity is so smooth, even small anomalies pop out like dents in a sheet of metal.”
Copilot on quantum magnetometers: Quantum magnetometers detect slight shifts in the spin states of atoms (such as rubidium, cesium and nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond) to calculate the exact strength of the magnetic field. These devices could be more effective on the Moon than Earth because the Moon has a nearly nonexistent global magnetic field, weak crustal magnetism, and no atmosphere, which create very little noise. The technology would be useful for detecting anything (vehicles, nuclear reactors) that have a magnetic field, as well as to map magnetic “fingerprints” of terrain and use them like landmarks.
Copilot on Rydberg atom sensors: A Rydberg atom is one whose outer electron has been excited to a very high energy level and orbits farther from the nucleus. This makes the atom much larger than normal atoms, extremely sensitive to electronic fields, and responsive to radio waves, microwaves and THz signals. (Please don’t ask me to define THz signals. That would require another AI search.) A Rydberg sensor uses lasers to prepare and read these atoms, turning them into quantum antennas. “They’re like a universal radio receiver, spectrum analyzer, and EM detector rolled into one quantum device.”
As with other quantum sensors, Rydberg atom sensor performance would excel on the Moon. which has no atmosphere or ionosphere, weak gravity, and very low electromagnetic noise. Bottom line: “Rydberg sensors would be supercharged on the Moon.”
Sensors play an important military role in “Trogs.” The Galileo Station National Guard uses an extensive net of ground-based sensors to substitute for satellite sensors, which the U.S. Moon Patrol possesses and the Galiletians do not. Furthermore, battlecraft are all equipped with multi-faceted sensor packs. Ignorant of quantum sensing devices, I assumed that battlecraft “optics” pods contained visible-light sensors, thermal sensors, and radio sensors that, frankly, have been around for decades. It appears that I’ll have to update the technology in the “Trogs” sequel that I’m now working on.