An optomechanical accelerometer that uses light to measure acceleration. Credit: F Zhou/NIST An accelerometer that uses laser light instead of just mechanical strain can register changes as small as ...

Researchers at the National Institute of Technology (NIST) have developed a new type of accelerometer based on lasers and optomechanical principles rather than the traditional mechanical strain gauges ...

Setting the stage for a new class of motional sensors, researchers have developed a new ultrasensitive, microchip-scale accelerometer that uses laser light to measure displacement. Beyond consumer ...

Illustration showing how a single laser beam is converted into four beams after diffracting from a patterned surface. These beams are then used to trap ultracold atoms in the new accelerometer.