Quasi-monolithic heterodyne laser interferometer for inertial sensing

Abstract

We present a compact heterodyne laser interferometer developed for high-sensitivity displacement sensing applications. This interferometer consists of customized prisms and wave plates assembled as a quasi-monolithic unit to realize a miniaturized system. The interferometer design adopts a common-mode rejection scheme to provide a high rejection ratio to common environmental noise. Experimental tests in vacuum show a displacement sensitivity level of 11 p m / H z at 100 m H z and as low as 0.6 p m / H z above 1 p m . The prototype unit is 20 m m × 20 m m × 10 m m in size and weighs 4.5 g , allowing subsequent integration in compact systems.

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
Sep 27, 2022
Source ID
10.1364/ol.473476

Entities

People

  • Felipe Guzman
  • Yanqi Zhang

Organizations

  • National Aeronautics and Space Administration
  • National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
  • National Science Foundation
  • Texas A&M University

Tags

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Astronomy/Astrophysics
  • Inertial Navigation Systems.
  • Microwave Engineering.

Technology Areas

  • Directed Energy