Essential Research Programs

Quantum Information Sciences – Position, Navigation, and Timing (QIS-PNT)

The QIS-PNT ERP is the Army’s leader in continuously transforming quantum information science and PNT to outpace our adversaries through discovery and innovation of novel sensing capabilities and quantum approaches to ensure seamless navigation and communication across all combat environments.

Mission

Provide the expertise and component technologies to foster transformational improvements to the accuracy and resiliency of Army PNT and quantum sensing capabilities that improve the maneuver, fires, and communication capabilities of the future force.

Objectives

Provide a suite of PNT technologies that can be tailored and fused to improve the Army’s ability to meet diverse platform/system/mission requirements
- Improve availability and precision synchronization of time beyond current GPS time transfer capabilities
- Provide improved resilience of position information at GPS-level accuracy and precision greater than GPS
- Improve access to and integrity of navigation and communications information
Identify, develop, and evaluate quantum mechanical principles and quantum phenomena to support revolutionary advances in sensing capabilities, including clocks, sensing, and communications
Develop and maintain in-house science and technology expertise, knowledge base, and component level development and testing capabilities to inform Army leaders about technologies that will impact the future fighting force
- Publication of findings to the broader community through peer-reviewed journals, conference presentations and proceeding articles, and technical documents released through public affairs
- Patents for ground-breaking innovations to protect the government S&T investments
- Knowledge transfer internal to the Army (Army Futures Command, Futures and Concepts Center, and Combat Capabilities Development Command) and the Department of Defense

Impact

Maintain GPS-quality PNT for multi-hour and multi-day missions in contested environments
Enable precision beyond GPS and classical limits to enable transformational capabilities such as distributed, coordinated effects
Preserve access, provide complementary sensors, and ensure trust of existing PNT signals and data

Provide resilient, precision localization and synchronization through Quantum Information Science (QIS) and photonic sensing

QMG v1.0: 1st Device Image — ARL’s resonant quadruple-mass gyroscope (QMG) is a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) inertial sensor that can provide navigation-grade performance

Rydberg setup — ARL’s Rydberg quantum sensor experimental apparatus, which was used to sample the radio-frequency spectrum from zero frequency up to 20 GHz and detect real-world communication signals.

Rydberg Radio — ARL’s Rydberg-atom-based sensor for electric field sensing applications, including acting as a communications receiver.”

Contact

Dr. Adam Schofield
Program Manager
adam.r.schofield2.civ@army.mil