We present the first direct measurement of the gravity-field curvature based on three conjugated atom interferometers. Three atomic clouds launched in the vertical direction are simultaneously interrogated by the same atom interferometry sequence and used to probe the gravity field at three equally spaced positions. The vertical component of the gravity-field curvature generated by nearby source masses is measured from the difference between adjacent gravity gradient values. Curvature measurements are of interest in geodesy studies and for the validation of gravitational models of the surrounding environment. The possibility of using such a scheme for a new determination of the Newtonian constant of gravity is also discussed.In the last two decades, atom interferometry [1] has profoundly changed precision inertial sensing, leading to major advances in metrology and fundamental and applied physics. The outstanding stability and accuracy levels [2,3] combined with the possibility of easily implementing new measurement schemes [4][5][6][7] are the main reasons for the rapid progress of these instruments. Matter-wave interferometry has been successfully used to measure local gravity [8], gravity gradient [9-11], the Sagnac effect [12], the Newtonian gravitational constant [13][14][15][16], the fine structure constant [17], and for tests of general relativity [18,19]. Accelerometers based on atom interferometry have been developed for many practical applications including geodesy, geophysics, engineering prospecting, and inertial navigation [20][21][22]. Instruments for space-based research are being conceived for different applications ranging from weak equivalence principle tests and gravitational-wave detection to geodesy [23,24].One of the most attractive features of atom interferometry sensors is the ability to perform differential acceleration measurements by simultaneously interrogating two separated atomic clouds with high rejection of common-mode vibration noise, as demonstrated in gravity gradiometry applications [3,9]. In principle, such a scheme can be extended to an arbitrary number of samples, thus, providing a measurement of higher-order spatial derivatives of the gravity field. Geophysical models of the Earth's interior rely on the inversion of gravity and gravity gradient data collected at or above the surface [25]. The solution to this problem, which is, in general, not unique, leads to images of the subsurface mass distribution over different scale lengths [26]. In this context,

Quantum based technologies have been fundamental in our world. After producing the laser and the transistor, the devices that have shaped our modern information society, the possibilities enabled by the ability to create and manipulate individual quantum states opens the door to a second quantum revolution. In this paper we explore the possibilities that these new technologies bring to the Telecommunications industry.

We demonstrate how the 5G network slicing model can be enhanced to address data security requirements. In this work we demonstrate two different slice configurations, with different encryption requirements, representing two diverse use-cases for 5G networking -namely, an enterprise application hosted at a metro network site, and a content delivery network. We create a modified software-defined networking (SDN) orchestrator which calculates and provisions network slices according to the requirements, including encryption backed by quantum key distribution (QKD), or other methods. Slices are automatically provisioned by SDN orchestration of network resources, allowing selection of encrypted links as appropriate, including those which use encryption with standard Diffie-Hellman key exchange, QKD or quantum-resistant algorithms (QRAs), as well as no encryption at all. We show that the set-up and tear-down times of the network slices takes of the order of 1-2 minutes, which is at least an order of magnitude improvement over manually provisioning a link today.

We present a passive RF to optical data transfer without a local oscillator using an atomic “Rydberg” receiver. We demonstrate the ability to detect a 5G frequency carrier wave (3.5 GHz) and decode digital data from the carrier wave without the use of a local oscillator to detect the modulation of the RF signal. The encoding and decoding of the data are achieved using an intermediate frequency (IF). The rubidium vapor detects the changes in the carrier wave's amplitude, which comes from the mixing of the IF onto the carrier. The rubidium vapor then upconverts the IF into the optical domain for detection. Using this technique for data encoding and extraction, we achieve data rates up to 238 kbps with a variety of encoding schemes.

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