UK Quantum Technology Hub in Sensors and Timing

The UK Quantum Technology Hub for Sensors and Timing, led by the University of Birmingham, building ultra-precise quantum sensors and clocks.

About UK Quantum Technology Hub in Sensors and Timing

The Quantum Technology Hub in Sensors and Metrology, led by the University of Birmingham, builds quantum sensors, devices that use the tiny, delicate behaviour of atoms to measure things with extraordinary precision. It works on measuring rotation, gravity, magnetic fields, light and time. Examples include atomic clocks that keep very accurate time, gravity sensors that can detect buried pipes, sinkholes and mineshafts, and sensors for navigation and brain imaging. It describes its research as covering magnetometry, geophysics, navigation and timing, and making future sensors smaller, lighter and cheaper.

The hub's stated mission is to turn laboratory science into real-world uses, working in areas important to the UK. As Professor Chris Baker says, radar performance depends on the quality of the clock signal used, so better quantum clocks could improve radar detection of small moving targets such as drones. For civil engineering, gravity sensing aims to find buried pipelines and support resilient navigation.

The base is the University of Birmingham in Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT. The hub is a team of universities: Birmingham leads, with Glasgow, Imperial College, Nottingham, Southampton, Strathclyde and Sussex, plus the British Geological Survey, the National Physical Laboratory and the National Buried Infrastructure Facility. More than 200 industry partners worked with the hub, according to a 2019 University of Birmingham article. A separate collaboration with BAE Systems and Birmingham University was announced to speed up advanced sensing technology in the UK.

The people leading it show the range of skills involved. Professor Kai Bongs is the principal investigator, Dr Simon Bennett is director, Dr Yeshpal Singh leads on quantum clocks, Dr Michael Holynski leads gravity sensor research, Professor Chris Baker is Chair of Intelligent Sensor Systems and Professor Nicole Metje is Professor of Infrastructure Monitoring. That mix of physicists, radar specialists and civil engineers suggests a culture where different subjects work together. The page is from 2019, so the current team may differ.

Jobs in a hub like this include experimental physicists who build atom-based sensors, electronics and software engineers, data analysts, civil engineers and geophysicists who test sensors in the field, and project managers who work with companies. Students of physics, engineering, maths and computer science can start by looking at the University of Birmingham's quantum research pages and the hub's partners. The hub shows how a subject as abstract as atomic physics ends up helping engineers find what lies under a road.

What they do

• {'desc': 'Highly accurate timing devices that can help radar and navigation.', 'title': 'Quantum clocks'}
• {'desc': 'Sensors that can detect buried pipes, sinkholes and mineshafts.', 'title': 'Gravity sensors'}
• {'desc': 'Quantum sensors for finding position and measuring the brain.', 'title': 'Navigation and brain imaging'}

Key facts

• Led by the University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT
• Principal investigator Professor Kai Bongs; director Dr Simon Bennett (2019)
• Partners include NPL, the British Geological Survey and seven other universities
• Worked with over 200 industry partners (2019 article)

Website: www.birmingham.ac.uk