Dr Jake Zipfel - National Physical Laboratory

The challenge

Reliable navigation is essential for transport networks, autonomous vehicles, aerospace platforms, and critical national infrastructure. While existing inertial sensors can measure rotation and navigation without GPS, their performance gradually deteriorates as small errors accumulate over time. Atomic spin gyroscopes offer the potential to overcome this limitation by exploiting the quantum properties of atoms to deliver exceptionally stable, low-drift rotation measurements. This could enable far more accurate navigation in environments where satellite signals are unavailable, unreliable, or deliberately disrupted. The challenge is transforming these promising quantum sensors from complex laboratory instruments into robust, compact, and deployable technologies suitable for real-world applications.

The research

Dr Jake Zipfel’s research focuses on engineering atomic spin gyroscopes, a type of quantum sensor that uses the properties of atoms to measure rotation with very low drift. His fellowship will investigate how to reduce the size, weight, and power requirements of these sensors while improving their robustness, reliability, and ease of deployment. This includes developing more efficient thermal control systems, miniaturised laser stabilisation technologies, advanced digital control electronics, and improved packaging methods. The goal is to move atomic spin gyroscopes from laboratory prototypes towards practical navigation devices that can operate in demanding real-world environments where conventional navigation technologies face limitations.

The researcher

Dr Zipfel is a Senior Scientist at the National Physical Laboratory (NPL), where he leads research and development activities in atomic sensing technologies, including atomic magnetometers and atomic spin gyroscopes. His work combines fundamental physics with engineering to develop deployable quantum technologies for real-world applications. Over the past several years, he has helped deliver the UK's first atomic spin gyroscope and its first portable embodiment, including demonstrations on Britain's railway network. He is particularly motivated by translating cutting-edge quantum research into practical technologies that deliver economic, societal, and strategic benefits while strengthening UK supply chains and accelerating the deployment of quantum sensing technologies.