A compact, high data rate, and high sensitivity atom interferometer

Laboratory-based light pulse atom interferometers (LPAIs) based on laser-cooled atoms exhibit remarkable sensitivity to accelerations. However, these systems are often bulky and typically operate at a cycle rate of approximately 1 Hz. For practical quantum sensing applications, LPAIs must (1) be compact enough for integration into ground and flight vehicles; (2) operate at a sufficiently high bandwidth to remain robust against sensor dynamics; and (3) demonstrate sensitivity and stability that surpass conventional accelerometers. In this work, we utilize our compact grating magneto-optical trap to investigate the trade-offs between rapid operation and high sensitivity, specifically at rates ranging from 1 Hz to over 50 Hz. We also evaluate the LPAI's performance with various interrogation laser beam configurations, characterizing the quantum accelerometer's performance with sub-μg/√Hz sensitivity and sub-100 ng bias stability. These results support future efforts to deploy our quantum accelerometer outside of laboratory settings.