New GPS system using diamonds - based on the fluorescence that I love!

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

This system is being developed by the US armed forces.
It can not be jammed.
It is kinda a super compass that recognises the magnetic patterns of the earth.

"Until recently, the only magnetometers sensitive enough to be useful for this task have been costly and bulky. Some also require cooling with either liquid helium or liquid nitrogen. None of these things is true of a diamond magnetometer.

The diamond in question has an atomic lattice containing anomalous places called nitrogen-vacancy defects. Diamonds are crystals of carbon and these vacancies are places where a carbon atom in the crystal lattice has been replaced by a nitrogen atom, and an adjacent carbon is missing. When exposed to green laser light such vacancies fluoresce. The pattern of fluorescence changes in a magnetic field in a way which allows that field’s strength and alignment to be determined."

Magnetometers based on diamonds will make navigation easier

Unlike GPS, they cannot be jammed by enemy action

www.economist.com

 

[Karl_K]

way awesome kewl

 

[mommylawyer]

Very cool. Thanks for sharing.

 

[OoohShiny]

That is cool

I wonder how it takes account of the changing magnetic field of Earth!

 

[mommylawyer]

That is cool

I wonder how it takes account of the changing magnetic field of Earth!

I was wondering the same thing myself, but I'm too cheap to subscribe to the Economist, so I can't read the full article. It's only $49 for 12 weeks, but I just can't make myself do it. Why is it that I'll spend $$ on jewelry, but I won't spend $49 for KNOWLEDGE??

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

That is cool

I wonder how it takes account of the changing magnetic field of Earth!

@mommylawer too
Sorry about the link - you get a small number of opens on the Economist - but if you use a different browser you can get some more.

Re the earths localised magnetic field - it stays very constant so they can use it as land marks sort of.
There are magnetic islands for e.g that caused sailors to crash or go off course.
(the north south magnetic poles (not true north and south) switch over every few hundred thousand years. No one really knows why - or what it will do to us when it next does (if we are still here).