A new dataset has been released for the AirQuantumGrav campaign, which performed airborne gravimetry measurements over Iceland in 2023.

ESA conducts airborne and ground-based campaigns to support the development of new instruments, and calibration and validation of existing instruments. These campaigns simulate satellite-based instruments and are conducted all over the world in support of a wide range of applications.

The goal of the Airborne Quantum Gravity (AirQuantumGrav) campaign was to investigate the quantum technological benefits of airborne gravimetry, which offer stability, absolute measurements, and do not need calibration.

The campaign used the GIRAFE cold atom accelerometer and conducted gravimetry surveys of four locations between 23 June and 9 July 2023:

1. Vatnajökull ice cap
2. Askja volcano
3. Fagradalsłäll volcano
4. The area from Snæłellsjökull to Akureyri

The first and fourth locations were repeat flights of locations tested during the Cold atom gravimetry airborne campaign in 2017, which was the first airborne gravity survey using cold atom matter-wave gravimetry. Surveys of the same location allowed for a comparison of data acquired by the two campaigns and validated improvements in the design of the instrument and processing developed since 2017. The instrument was also carried on board the same aircraft used during the Cold atom gravimetry campaign.

The campaign was successful, acquiring high quality data during all of the flights. The data processing showed good results in the 1 mGal range and demonstrated improvements in the cold atom technology since the 2017 test campaign.

Surveys of Askja and Fagradalsłäll volcanoes gathered data that are useful for geophysical studies of the volcanoes. The land around Askja volcano has risen in recent years and Fagradalsłäll is an active volcano, presenting different case studies for the use of airborne gravimetry.

Data from the AirQuantumGrav campaign was processed to Level-0, 1, and 2 products, which are suitable for different users:

• Level-0: Containing raw GNSS data from the GNSS receivers in RINEX format, and time-tagged accelerations and angular rates in ASCII format
• Level-1: Intermediate products containing processed GNSS data with estimates of position and velocity
• Level-2: Containing products from the cold atom accelerometer and GNSS receivers, with the final along-track gravity estimates

The dataset acquired during the campaign is openly available for download following submission of a data access request.

Learn more about the AirQuantumGrav campaign and how to request the data.