Roadmap on Quantum Sensors for Vacuum Metrology
Abstract
We describe how laser-cooled and trapped alkali-metal atoms have been used as pressure sensors in the high- and ultra-high-vacuum regimes operating with relative uncertainties of just over a percent at pressures from a few nPa and up to a few tens of μPa. These sensors can serve as primary standards of pressure as the determination of pressure requires only knowledge of collision cross sections between atoms and molecules, eliminating the need for calibration with other devices. The collision cross sections can be measured independently or computed with rigorous quantum methods at percent relative accuracies. We argue that this technology has advanced sufficiently to provide an alternative to the existing, expensive pressure standard in the ultra-high vacuum regime, the orifice flow standard. Experiments with trapped atoms can be used to calibrate cheaper pressure sensors (such as devices based on ionization gauges). However, the technology has not yet matured enough to be of use in other research fields because of the complexity and cost of the experiments. We propose a roadmap for this new pressure standard for vacuum metrology.
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BibTeX
@misc{barker2026roadmap,
title = {{Roadmap on Quantum Sensors for Vacuum Metrology}},
author = {D. S. Barker and J. L. Booth and S. P. Eckel and J. Grosse and K. Jousten and J. Kłos and R. V. Krems and K. W. Madison and T. Rubin and E. Tiesinga},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2609.06626},
eprint = {2609.06626},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.06626},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Roadmap on Quantum Sensors for Vacuum Metrology
AU - D. S. Barker
AU - J. L. Booth
AU - S. P. Eckel
AU - J. Grosse
AU - K. Jousten
AU - J. Kłos
AU - R. V. Krems
AU - K. W. Madison
AU - T. Rubin
AU - E. Tiesinga
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/06
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2609.06626
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.06626
AB - We describe how laser-cooled and trapped alkali-metal atoms have been used as pressure sensors in the high- and ultra-high-vacuum regimes operating with relative uncertainties of just over a percent at pressures from a few nPa and up to a few tens of μPa. These sensors can serve as primary standards of pressure as the determination of pressure requires only knowledge of collision cross sections between atoms and molecules, eliminating the need for calibration with other devices. The collision cross sections can be measured independently or computed with rigorous quantum methods at percent relative accuracies. We argue that this technology has advanced sufficiently to provide an alternative to the existing, expensive pressure standard in the ultra-high vacuum regime, the orifice flow standard. Experiments with trapped atoms can be used to calibrate cheaper pressure sensors (such as devices based on ionization gauges). However, the technology has not yet matured enough to be of use in other research fields because of the complexity and cost of the experiments. We propose a roadmap for this new pressure standard for vacuum metrology.
ER -