Multiaxis applications of a cryogenic range-resolved laser interferometer

Adam J. Christiansen; David A. Naylor; Brad G. Gom

doi:10.1117/12.2647283

8 March 2023 Multiaxis applications of a cryogenic range-resolved laser interferometer

Adam J. Christiansen, David A. Naylor, Brad G. Gom

Proceedings Volume 12428, Photonic Instrumentation Engineering X; 124280Z (2023) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2647283
Event: SPIE OPTO, 2023, San Francisco, California, United States

Abstract

A range-resolved laser interferometer is the leading candidate for providing displacement metrology that can meet the stringent precision and low power dissipation requirements of cryogenic space astronomy missions. In prior work, a three-phase homodyne laser interferometer was developed using a simple optical and signal processing scheme that achieved the desired dynamic performance required for state-of-the-art cryogenic far-infrared spectrometers, however, the system required three detectors and amplifiers, and exhibited poor performance at low speeds due to 1/f noise associated with the detector and electronics.1,2 A frequency modulation continuous wave (FMCW) heterodyne approach was subsequently adopted to address this shortcoming by shifting the signal of interest well away from the 1/f region.1,3 This technique provides the additional advantage of enabling simultaneous multiaxis measurements all using a single laser and a single detector. This paper discusses several applications of the multiaxis FMCW design that as currently implemented can provide simultaneous measurements of up to 8 axes. The need for a precise and intrinsically low power 1-D displacement metrology system to measure the optical path difference of a cryogenic Fourier transform spectrometer was the initial driver for this research; applications in N-dimensions are currently being explored. Several applications of the technique at both high and low speeds are considered, including multiaxis precision linear positioning, the simultaneous measurement of the cryogenic coefficients of thermal expansion for multiple materials, and cryogenic accelerometry. Results from these applications will be presented and used to discuss limitations of the technique.

Conference Presentation

Citation Download Citation

Adam J. Christiansen, David A. Naylor, and Brad G. Gom "Multiaxis applications of a cryogenic range-resolved laser interferometer", Proc. SPIE 12428, Photonic Instrumentation Engineering X, 124280Z (8 March 2023); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2647283

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