School of Physics, Quantum Matter Seminar| Dr. Thomas Overstolz| CSEM , Switzerland

Modern quantum sensors based on sensing of hot vapors are of growing interest in the scientific community. At the core of these applications is the vapor cell, a small container filled with metallic alkali atoms (e.g. rubidium or cesium). In recent years, the fabrication of these cells has experienced an enormous progress, starting from glass blown cells, over single MEMS fabricated cells using custom designed equipment, to an industrial approach using standard MEMS fabrication techniques allowing the fabrication of hundreds of vapor cells at once on a single wafer (150mm diameter in our case). Recently, the European quantum flagship project “macQsimal” was successfully terminated. This project, coordinated by CSEM, brought together 14 partners from academia, research and technology organizations, and industries from 7 European countries. The project was built around the atomic vapor cell and its use in 5 quantum sensing applications: atomic clocks, optically pumped magnetometers, nuclear magnetic resonance gyroscopes, GHz- and THz-imaging, and gas sensors based on sensing of Rydberg states. An overview of the project achievements will be given in this talk, highlighting the different quantum sensor prototypes and demonstrators developed during the last 4 years.