Measurement of Ultra-Low Frequency Vibrations Using an Atom Interferometer

Ma, Zenghan; Zhuang, Wei; Zhao, Yang; Ruan, Chuanjing; Tian, Qin; Yao, Jiamin; Feng, Jinyang; Wu, Shuqing; Fang, Fang; Wan, Ling

doi:10.3390/s25134136

Open AccessCommunication

Measurement of Ultra-Low Frequency Vibrations Using an Atom Interferometer

by

Zenghan Ma

^1,2,

Wei Zhuang

^2,3,*,

Yang Zhao

^2,3,

Chuanjing Ruan

^2,4,

Qin Tian

^2,4,

Jiamin Yao

^2,3,

Jinyang Feng

^2,3,

Shuqing Wu

^2,3,

Fang Fang

^2,3 and

Ling Wan

^1,*

¹

College of Instrumentation and Electrical Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun 130026, China

²

National Institute of Metrology, Beijing 100029, China

³

Key Laboratory of State Administration for Market Regulation (Time Frequency and Gravity Primary Standard), Beijing 100029, China

⁴

School of Automation and Intelligence, Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing 100044, China

^*

Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Sensors 2025, 25(13), 4136; https://doi.org/10.3390/s25134136

Submission received: 17 April 2025 / Revised: 13 June 2025 / Accepted: 26 June 2025 / Published: 2 July 2025

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Quantum Devices for Sensing and Other Applications)

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Abstract

Measuring low-frequency and ultra-low-frequency vibration signals is of critical importance in fields such as structural mechanics, geological exploration, aerospace, precision machining, and biomedicine. Existing methods face limitations in achieving both ultra-low-frequency range and high precision. We present an ultra-low-frequency vibration measurement method based on the atom interferometer, capable of measuring vibration signals from 0.01 Hz to DC. The performance of measurement was experimentally demonstrated for vibrations between 0.007 Hz and 0.01 Hz, achieving a sensitivity of

1.1 μ m / s^{2} / \sqrt{Hz}

. Incorporating active vibration isolation can further enhance the measurement range, increasing the optimal sensitivity to

0.2 μ m / s^{2} / \sqrt{Hz}

.

Keywords: atom interferometer; low-frequency vibration measurement; vibration isolation

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MDPI and ACS Style

Ma, Z.; Zhuang, W.; Zhao, Y.; Ruan, C.; Tian, Q.; Yao, J.; Feng, J.; Wu, S.; Fang, F.; Wan, L. Measurement of Ultra-Low Frequency Vibrations Using an Atom Interferometer. Sensors 2025, 25, 4136. https://doi.org/10.3390/s25134136

AMA Style

Ma Z, Zhuang W, Zhao Y, Ruan C, Tian Q, Yao J, Feng J, Wu S, Fang F, Wan L. Measurement of Ultra-Low Frequency Vibrations Using an Atom Interferometer. Sensors. 2025; 25(13):4136. https://doi.org/10.3390/s25134136

Chicago/Turabian Style

Ma, Zenghan, Wei Zhuang, Yang Zhao, Chuanjing Ruan, Qin Tian, Jiamin Yao, Jinyang Feng, Shuqing Wu, Fang Fang, and Ling Wan. 2025. "Measurement of Ultra-Low Frequency Vibrations Using an Atom Interferometer" Sensors 25, no. 13: 4136. https://doi.org/10.3390/s25134136

APA Style

Ma, Z., Zhuang, W., Zhao, Y., Ruan, C., Tian, Q., Yao, J., Feng, J., Wu, S., Fang, F., & Wan, L. (2025). Measurement of Ultra-Low Frequency Vibrations Using an Atom Interferometer. Sensors, 25(13), 4136. https://doi.org/10.3390/s25134136

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Measurement of Ultra-Low Frequency Vibrations Using an Atom Interferometer

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