A prototype quantum sensor built by Imperial researchers has shown for the first time that a central idea behind future quantum detectors can operate in realistic experimental conditions.
The study demonstrates that comparing two long baseline atom interferometers, instruments that use lasers to measure the behavior of atoms with extreme precision, can effectively cancel experimental noise.
That makes it possible to recover signals even when each individual measurement is buried in noise. The advance could support future searches for gravitational waves from the early universe and signs of unusual forms of dark matter.
The work is part of the Atom Interferometer Observatory and Network (AION) collaboration. Led by Imperial, AION includes researchers from institutions across the UK who are developing next-generation quantum sensing technologies.
This research was published on June 17, 2026, in Nature.
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