US team makes phonon lasers as a step towards 'unjammable' navigation

Scientists at the University of Rochester and Rochester Institute of Technology have developed a squeezed phonon laser, advancing the potential for "unjammable" navigation systems and deeper exploration of quantum phenomena such as entanglement. Unlike conventional lasers that manipulate photons (light particles), phonon lasers control phonons—quantized sound waves or quasiparticles representing vibrational energy in materials. This innovation builds on prior work from 2019, where phonons were trapped and levitated using optical tweezers, but faced noise challenges that limited measurement precision. The new phonon laser technology significantly reduces thermal noise fluctuations by carefully manipulating the phonon laser with light, enabling more accurate acceleration measurements than photon-based lasers or radio-frequency sources. This improvement opens possibilities for highly precise gravity measurements and the development of quantum compasses that operate independently of satellites, making them resistant to jamming. Beyond navigation, phonon lasers could enhance quantum sensing, quantum computing, and microchip operation by generating surface acoustic waves, leading to faster, smaller