16,370 research outputs found
A Demonstration of Spectral and Spatial Interferometry at THz Frequencies
A laboratory prototype spectral/spatial interferometer has been constructed
to demonstrate the feasibility of the double Fourier technique at Far Infrared
(FIR) wavelengths (0.15 - 1 THz). It is planned to use this demonstrator to
investigate and validate important design features and data processing methods
for future astronomical FIR interferometer instruments. In building this
prototype we have had to address several key technologies to provide an end-end
system demonstration of this double Fourier interferometer. We report on the
first results taken when viewing single slit and double slit sources at the
focus of a large collimator used to simulate real sources at infinity. The
performance of the prototype instrument for these specific field geometries is
analyzed to compare with the observed interferometric fringes and to
demonstrate image reconstruction capabilities.Comment: Accepted for publication in Applied Optic
Time-ordered data simulation and map-making for the PIXIE Fourier transform spectrometer
We develop a time-ordered data simulator and map-maker for the proposed PIXIE
Fourier transform spectrometer and use them to investigate the impact of
polarization leakage, imperfect collimation, elliptical beams, sub-pixel
effects, correlated noise and spectrometer mirror jitter on the PIXIE data
analysis. We find that PIXIE is robust to all of these effects, with the
exception of mirror jitter which could become the dominant source of noise in
the experiment if the jitter is not kept significantly below . Source code is available at https://github.com/amaurea/pixie.Comment: 27 pages, 15 figures. Accepted for publication in JCA
Multimode bolometer development for the PIXIE instrument
The Primordial Inflation Explorer (PIXIE) is an Explorer-class mission
concept designed to measure the polarization and absolute intensity of the
cosmic microwave background. In the following, we report on the design,
fabrication, and performance of the multimode polarization-sensitive bolometers
for PIXIE, which are based on silicon thermistors. In particular we focus on
several recent advances in the detector design, including the implementation of
a scheme to greatly raise the frequencies of the internal vibrational modes of
the large-area, low-mass optical absorber structure consisting of a grid of
micromachined, ion-implanted silicon wires. With times the absorbing
area of the spider-web bolometers used by Planck, the tensioning scheme enables
the PIXIE bolometers to be robust in the vibrational and acoustic environment
at launch of the space mission. More generally, it could be used to reduce
microphonic sensitivity in other types of low temperature detectors. We also
report on the performance of the PIXIE bolometers in a dark cryogenic
environment.Comment: 10 pages, 7 figure
Characterizing Exoplanets in the Visible and Infrared: A Spectrometer Concept for the EChO Space Mission
Transit-spectroscopy of exoplanets is one of the key observational techniques
to characterize the extrasolar planet and its atmosphere. The observational
challenges of these measurements require dedicated instrumentation and only the
space environment allows an undisturbed access to earth-like atmospheric
features such as water or carbon-dioxide. Therefore, several exoplanet-specific
space missions are currently being studied. One of them is EChO, the Exoplanet
Characterization Observatory, which is part of ESA's Cosmic Vision 2015-2025
program, and which is one of four candidates for the M3 launch slot in 2024. In
this paper we present the results of our assessment study of the EChO
spectrometer, the only science instrument onboard this spacecraft. The
instrument is a multi-channel all-reflective dispersive spectrometer, covering
the wavelength range from 400 nm to 16 microns simultaneously with a moderately
low spectral resolution. We illustrate how the key technical challenge of the
EChO mission - the high photometric stability - influences the choice of
spectrometer concept and drives fundamentally the instrument design. First
performance evaluations underline the fitness of the elaborated design solution
for the needs of the EChO mission.Comment: 20 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in the Journal of
Astronomical Instrumentatio
In-situ defect detection systems for R2R flexible PV films
The atomic layer deposition technique (ALD) is
used to apply a thin (40-100 nm thick) barrier
coating of Al2O3 on polymer substrates for flexible
PV cells, to minimise and control the degradation
caused by water vapour ingress. However,
defects appearing on the film surfaces during the
Al2O3 ALD growth have been seen to be highly
significant in deterioration of the PV module
efficiency and lifespan [1]. In order to improve the
process yield and product efficiency, it is
desirable to develop an inspection system that
can detect transparent barrier film defects in the
production line during film processing. Off-line
detection of defects in transparent PV barrier
films is difficult and time consuming.
Consequently, implementing an accurate in-situ
defects inspection system in the production
environment is even more challenging, since the
requirements on positioning, fast measurement,
long term stability and robustness against
environmental disturbance are demanding. For
in-situ R2R defects inspection systems the
following conditions need to be satisfied by the
inspection tools. Firstly the measurement must
be fast and have no physical contact with the
inspected film surface. Secondly the
measurement system must be robust against the
environmental disturbance inspection. Finally the
system should have sub-micrometre lateral
resolution and nanometre vertical resolution in
order to be able to distinguish defects on the film
surface. Optical interferometry techniques have
the potentially to be used as a solution for such
application. However they are extremely sensitive
to environmental noise such as mechanical
vibration, air turbulence and temperature drift.
George [2] reported that a single shot
interferometry system âFlexCamâ developed by
4D Technology being used currently to detect
defects for PV barrier films manufactured by R2R
technology. It is robust against environmental
disturbances; but it has a limited vertical range,
which is restricted by the phase ambiguity of the
phase shift interferometry. This vertical
measurement range (a few hundreds
nanometres) is far less than the normal vertical
range of defects (a few micrometres up to a few
tens micrometres). It is not possible to detect the
majority of defects in the R2R flexible PV barrier
films
Ultra-thin titanium nitride films for refractory spectral selectivity
We demonstrate a selectively emitting optical Fabry-P\'erot resonator based
on a few-nm-thin continuous metallic titanium nitride film, separated by a
dielectric spacer from an optically thick titanium nitride back-reflector,
which exhibits excellent stability at 1070 K against chemical degradation,
thin-film instabilities and melting point depression. The structure paves the
way to the design and fabrication of refractory thermal emitters using the
well-established processes known from the field of multilayer and rugate
optical filters. We demonstrate that a few-nanometer thick films of titanium
nitride can be stable under operation at temperatures exceeding 1070 K. This
type of selective emitter provides a means towards near-infrared thermal
emission that could potentially be tailored to the accuracy level known from
rugate optical filters.Comment: 16 pages, 6 figure
Detailed state of the art review for the different on-line/in-line oil analysis techniques in context of wind turbine gearboxes
The main driver behind developing advanced condition monitoring (CM) systems for the wind energy industry is the delivery of improved asset management regarding the operation and maintenance of the gearbox and other wind turbine components and systems. Current gearbox CM systems mainly detect faults by identifying ferrous materials, water, and air within oil by changes in certain properties such as electrical fields. In order to detect oil degradation and identify particles, more advanced devices are required to allow a better maintenance regime to be established. Current technologies available specifically for this purpose include Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and ferrography. There are also several technologies that have not yet been or have been recently applied to CM problems. After reviewing the current state of the art, it is recommended that a combination of sensors would be used that analyze different characteristics of the oil. The information individually would not be highly accurate but combined it is fully expected that greater accuracy can be obtained. The technologies that are suitable in terms of cost, size, accuracy, and development are online ferrography, selective fluorescence spectroscopy, scattering measurements, FTIR, photoacoustic spectroscopy, and solid state viscometers
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