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At least 181 records · Page 10

Long-term laser frequency stabilization using fiber interferometers

We report long-term laser frequency stabilization using only the target laser and a pair of 5 m fiber interferometers, one as a frequency reference and the second as a sensitive thermometer to stabilize the frequency reference. When used to stabilize a distributed feedback laser at 795 nm, the frequency Allan deviation at 1000 s drops from 5.6 × 10{sup −8} to 6.9 × 10{sup −10}. The performance equals that of an offset lock employing a second, atom-stabilized laser in the temperature control.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Controlling the opto-mechanics of a cantilever in an interferometer via cavity loss

In a non-contact atomic force microscope, based on interferometric cantilever displacement detection, the optical return loss of the system is tunable via the distance between the fiber end and the cantilever. We utilize this for tuning the interferometer from a predominant Michelson to a predominant Fabry-Pérot characteristics and introduce the Fabry-Pérot enhancement factor as a quantitative measure for multibeam interference in the cavity. This experimentally easily accessible and adjustable parameter provides a control of the opto-mechanical interaction between the cavity light field and the cantilever. The quantitative assessment of the light pressure acting on the cantilever oscillating in the cavity via the frequency shift allows an in-situ measurement of the cantilever stiffness with remarkable precision.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Note: Design of a laser feedback interferometer with double diffraction system

A novel laser feedback interferometer with double diffraction system is proposed in this paper. A beam emitted from the laser is incident onto a transmission grating. The mth order beam is vertically reflected by a mirror and diffracted again by the grating. The double-diffracted beam returns into the laser cavity and mixes with the light inside the active cavity, thus generating a modulation of both the amplitude and the frequency of the lasing field. Theoretical analysis and experimental observations show that the output signal of the proposed system depends on the grating pitch and the direction of the phase movement can be obtained from inclination of the interference signal. It provides a potential displacement sensor with high stability and quite a compact configuration.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Microwave frequency sweep interferometer for plasma density measurements in ECR ion sources: Design and preliminary results

The Electron Cyclotron Resonance Ion Sources (ECRISs) development is strictly related to the availability of new diagnostic tools, as the existing ones are not adequate to such compact machines and to their plasma characteristics. Microwave interferometry is a non-invasive method for plasma diagnostics and represents the best candidate for plasma density measurement in hostile environment. Interferometry in ECRISs is a challenging task mainly due to their compact size. The typical density of ECR plasmas is in the range 10{sup 11}–10{sup 13} cm{sup −3} and it needs a probing beam wavelength of the order of few centimetres, comparable to the chamber radius. The paper describes the design of a microwave interferometer developed at the LNS-INFN laboratories based on the so-called “frequency sweep” method to filter out the multipath contribution in the detected signals. The measurement technique and the preliminary results (calibration) obtained during the experimental tests will be presented.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Large aperture Fizeau interferometer commissioning and preliminary measurements of a long x-ray mirror at European X-ray Free Electron Laser

The European XFEL (X-ray Free Electron Laser) is a large facility under construction in Hamburg, Germany. It will provide a transversally fully coherent x-ray radiation with outstanding characteristics: high repetition rate (up to 2700 pulses with a 0.6 ms long pulse train at 10 Hz), short wavelength (down to 0.05 nm), short pulse (in the femtoseconds scale), and high average brilliance (1.6 ⋅ 10{sup 25} (photons s{sup −1} mm{sup −2} mrad{sup −2})/0.1% bandwidth). The beam has very high pulse energy; therefore, it has to be spread out on a relatively long mirror (about 1 m). Due to the very short wavelength, the mirrors need to have a high quality surface on their entire length, and this is considered very challenging even with the most advanced polishing methods. In order to measure the mirrors and to characterize their interaction with the mechanical mount, we equipped a metrology laboratory with a large aperture Fizeau interferometer. The system is a classical 100 mm diameter commercial Fizeau, with an additional expander providing a 300 mm diameter beam. Despite the commercial nature of the system, special care has been taken in the polishing of the reference flats and in the expander quality. We report the first commissioning of the instrument, its calibration, and performance characterization, together with some preliminary results with the measurement of a 950 mm silicon substrate. The intended application is to characterize the final XFEL mirrors with nanometer accuracy.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Impact of LF and HF noises of HeNe lasers on the operation of precise interferometers

In the paper there are analyzed factors limiting resolution of precise laser interferometers working either in low frequency LF or in high frequency HF range. It is shown that the influence of the laser tube noises, although substantial, is not the most important. The influence of the electronic circuitry and signal processing is also evaluated.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Upgraded millimeter-wave interferometer for measuring the electron density during the beam extraction in the negative ion source

The upgraded millimeter-wave interferometer with the frequency of 70 GHz is installed on a large-scaled negative ion source. Measurable line-averaged electron density is from 2 × 10{sup 15} to 3 × 10{sup 18} m{sup −3} in front of the plasma grid. Several improvements such as the change to shorter wavelength probing with low noise, the installation of special ordered horn antenna, the signal modulation for a high accuracy digital phase detection, the insertion of insulator, and so on, are carried out for the measurement during the beam extraction by applying high voltage. The line-averaged electron density is successfully measured and it is found that it increases linearly with the arc power and drops suddenly at the beam extraction.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Far-forward collective scattering measurements by FIR polarimeter-interferometer on J-TEXT tokamak

The multi-channel three-wave polarimeter-interferometer system on J-TEXT tokamak has been exploited to measure far-forward collective scattering from electron density fluctuations. The diagnostic utilizes far infrared lasers operated at 432 μm with 17-channel vertical chords (3 cm chord spacing), covering the entire cross section of plasma. Scattering laser power is measured using a high-sensitivity Schottky planar diode mixer which can also detect polarimetric and interferometric phase simultaneously. The system provides a line-integrated measurement of density fluctuations with maximum measurable wave number: k{sub ⊥max} ≤ 2 cm{sup −1} and time response up to 350 kHz. Feasibility of the diagnostic has been tested, showing higher sensitivity to detect fluctuation than interferometric measurement. Capability of providing spatial-resolved information of fluctuation has also been demonstrated in preliminary experimental applications.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

An upgraded interferometer-polarimeter system for broadband fluctuation measurements

Measuring high-frequency fluctuations (above tearing mode frequencies) is important for diagnosing instabilities and transport phenomena. The Madison Symmetric Torus interferometer-polarimeter system has been upgraded to utilize improved planar-diode mixer technology. The new mixers reduce phase noise and allow more sensitive measurements of fluctuations at high frequency. Typical polarimeter rms phase noise values of 0.05°–0.07° are obtained with 400 kHz bandwidth. The low phase noise enables the resolution of fluctuations up to 250 kHz for polarimetry and 600 kHz for interferometry. The importance of probe beam alignment for polarimetry is also verified; previously reported tolerances of ≤0.1 mm displacement for equilibrium and tearing mode measurements minimize contamination due to spatial misalignment to within acceptable levels for chords near the magnetic axis.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

A compact fiber optics-based heterodyne combined normal and transverse displacement interferometer

While Photonic Doppler Velocimetry (PDV) has become a common diagnostic tool for the measurement of normal component of particle motion in shock wave experiments, this technique has not yet been modified for the measurement of combined normal and transverse motion, as needed in oblique plate impact experiments. In this study, we discuss the design and implementation of a compact fiber-optics-based heterodyne combined normal and transverse displacement interferometer. Like the standard PDV, this diagnostic tool is assembled using commercially available telecommunications hardware and uses a 1550 nm wavelength 2 W fiber-coupled laser, an optical focuser, and single mode fibers to transport light to and from the target. Two additional optical probes capture first-order beams diffracted from a reflective grating at the target free-surface and deliver the beams past circulators and a coupler where the signal is combined to form a beat frequency. The combined signal is then digitized and analyzed to determine the transverse component of the particle motion. The maximum normal velocity that can be measured by this system is limited by the equivalent transmission bandwidth (3.795 GHz) of the combined detector, amplifier, and digitizer and is estimated to be ~2.9 km/s. Finally, sample symmetric oblique plate-impact experiments are performed to demonstrate the capability of this diagnostic tool in the measurement of the combined normal and transverse displacement particle motion.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

A broadband fiber-optic nonlinear interferometer

In this paper, we describe an all-fiber nonlinear interferometer based on four-wave mixing in highly nonlinear fiber. Our configuration realizes phase-sensitive interference with 97% peak visibility and >90% visibility over a broad 554 GHz optical band. By comparing the output noise power to the shot-noise level, we confirm noise cancellation at dark interference fringes, as required for quantum-enhanced sensitivity. Finally, our device extends nonlinear interferometry to the important platform of highly nonlinear optical fiber and could find applications in a variety of fiber-based sensors.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Three-channel polaro-interferometer for laser-produced plasma diagnostics with femtosecond time resolution

We describe an upgraded version of a three-channel polaro-interferometer, which enables laser-produced plasma probing with femtosecond time resolution. Test experiments are performed with the use of a 50-fs probe pulse and an air spark produced by a driving nanosecond laser pulse. High-contrast interference plasma images are recorded, making it possible to reconstruct the electron density plasma profile with femtosecond time resolution in a wide range of probing pulse delays relative to the driving pulse. (laser plasma)

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Nonlinear interferometer for increasing the contrast ratio of intense laser pulses

The possibility is shown for increasing the contrast ratio of intense (TW cm{sup –2}) femtosecond laser pulses by using a nonlinear Mach – Zehnder interferometer, and also under the conditions of cascade quadratic nonlinearity in two tandem uniaxial crystals detuned from the matching direction to opposite sides. In both the cases, the peak intensity slightly falls (by ∼10 %) and with additional chirp mirrors may even exceed the initial intensity. (paper)

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

MODELING CIRCUMSTELLAR DISKS OF B-TYPE STARS WITH OBSERVATIONS FROM THE PALOMAR TESTBED INTERFEROMETER

Geometrical (uniform disk) and numerical models were calculated for a set of B-emission (Be) stars observed with the Palomar Testbed Interferometer (PTI). Physical extents have been estimated for the disks of a total of 15 stars via uniform disk models. Our numerical non-LTE models used parameters for the B0, B2, B5, and B8 spectral classes and following the framework laid by previous studies, we have compared them to infrared K-band interferometric observations taken at PTI. This is the first time such an extensive set of Be stars observed with long-baseline interferometry has been analyzed with self-consistent non-LTE numerical disk models.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Navy precision optical interferometer measurements of 10 stellar oscillators

Using the Navy Precision Optical Interferometer, we measured the angular diameters of 10 stars that have previously measured solar-like oscillations. Our sample covered a range of evolutionary stages but focused on evolved subgiant and giant stars. We combined our angular diameters with Hipparcos parallaxes to determine the stars' physical radii, and used photometry from the literature to calculate their bolometric fluxes, luminosities, and effective temperatures. We then used our results to test the scaling relations used by asteroseismology groups to calculate radii and found good agreement between the radii measured here and the radii predicted by stellar oscillation studies. The precision of the relations is not as well constrained for giant stars as it is for less evolved stars.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

EXO-ZODI MODELING FOR THE LARGE BINOCULAR TELESCOPE INTERFEROMETER

Habitable zone dust levels are a key unknown that must be understood to ensure the success of future space missions to image Earth analogs around nearby stars. Current detection limits are several orders of magnitude above the level of the solar system's zodiacal cloud, so characterization of the brightness distribution of exo-zodi down to much fainter levels is needed. To this end, the Large Binocular Telescope Interferometer (LBTI) will detect thermal emission from habitable zone exo-zodi a few times brighter than solar system levels. Here we present a modeling framework for interpreting LBTI observations, which yields dust levels from detections and upper limits that are then converted into predictions and upper limits for the scattered light surface brightness. We apply this model to the HOSTS survey sample of nearby stars; assuming a null depth uncertainty of 10{sup –4} the LBTI will be sensitive to dust a few times above the solar system level around Sun-like stars, and to even lower dust levels for more massive stars.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Gravitational waves at interferometer scales and primordial black holes in axion inflation

We study the prospects of detection at terrestrial and space interferometers, as well as at pulsar timing array experiments, of a stochastic gravitational wave background which can be produced in models of axion inflation. This potential signal, and the development of these experiments, open a new window on inflation on scales much smaller than those currently probed with Cosmic Microwave Background and Large Scale Structure measurements. The sourced signal generated in axion inflation is an ideal candidate for such searches, since it naturally grows at small scales, and it has specific properties (chirality and non-gaussianity) that can distinguish it from an astrophysical background. We study under which conditions such a signal can be produced at an observable level, without the simultaneous overproduction of scalar perturbations in excess of what is allowed by the primordial black hole limits. We also explore the possibility that scalar perturbations generated in a modified version of this model may provide a distribution of primordial black holes compatible with the current bounds, that can act as a seeds of the present black holes in the universe.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗