12,857 research outputs found
A microchip optomechanical accelerometer
The monitoring of accelerations is essential for a variety of applications
ranging from inertial navigation to consumer electronics. The basic operation
principle of an accelerometer is to measure the displacement of a flexibly
mounted test mass; sensitive displacement measurement can be realized using
capacitive, piezo-electric, tunnel-current, or optical methods. While optical
readout provides superior displacement resolution and resilience to
electromagnetic interference, current optical accelerometers either do not
allow for chip-scale integration or require bulky test masses. Here we
demonstrate an optomechanical accelerometer that employs ultra-sensitive
all-optical displacement read-out using a planar photonic crystal cavity
monolithically integrated with a nano-tethered test mass of high mechanical
Q-factor. This device architecture allows for full on-chip integration and
achieves a broadband acceleration resolution of 10 \mu g/rt-Hz, a bandwidth
greater than 20 kHz, and a dynamic range of 50 dB with sub-milliwatt optical
power requirements. Moreover, the nano-gram test masses used here allow for
optomechanical back-action in the form of cooling or the optical spring effect,
setting the stage for a new class of motional sensors.Comment: 16 pages, 9 figure
Improving broadband displacement detection with quantum correlations
Interferometers enable ultrasensitive measurement in a wide array of
applications from gravitational wave searches to force microscopes. The role of
quantum mechanics in the metrological limits of interferometers has a rich
history, and a large number of techniques to surpass conventional limits have
been proposed. In a typical measurement configuration, the tradeoff between the
probe's shot noise (imprecision) and its quantum backaction results in what is
known as the standard quantum limit (SQL). In this work we investigate how
quantum correlations accessed by modifying the readout of the interferometer
can access physics beyond the SQL and improve displacement sensitivity.
Specifically, we use an optical cavity to probe the motion of a silicon nitride
membrane off mechanical resonance, as one would do in a broadband displacement
or force measurement, and observe sensitivity better than the SQL dictates for
our quantum efficiency. Our measurement illustrates the core idea behind a
technique known as \textit{variational readout}, in which the optical readout
quadrature is changed as a function of frequency to improve broadband
displacement detection. And more generally our result is a salient example of
how correlations can aid sensing in the presence of backaction.Comment: 17 pages, 5 figure
Further development of the dynamic gas temperature measurement system. Volume 1: Technical efforts
A compensated dynamic gas temperature thermocouple measurement method was experimentally verified. Dynamic gas temperature signals from a flow passing through a chopped-wheel signal generator and an atmospheric pressure laboratory burner were measured by the dynamic temperature sensor and other fast-response sensors. Compensated data from dynamic temperature sensor thermoelements were compared with fast-response sensors. Results from the two experiments are presented as time-dependent waveforms and spectral plots. Comparisons between compensated dynamic temperature sensor spectra and a commercially available optical fiber thermometer compensated spectra were made for the atmospheric burner experiment. Increases in precision of the measurement method require optimization of several factors, and directions for further work are identified
Acoustic noise measurements of MBARI's Ventana ROV
This technical memorandum reports on the noise measurement results performed on MBARI's Ventana ROV. The measurement procedure and the instrumentation for this experiment are also described.
This report is organized as follows:
Section 1 provides some introductory information.
Section 2 describes the experiment and the instrumentation.
Section 3 presents the results.
Section 4 contains some concluding remarks.
(PDF contains 16 pages.
Data Provenance and Management in Radio Astronomy: A Stream Computing Approach
New approaches for data provenance and data management (DPDM) are required
for mega science projects like the Square Kilometer Array, characterized by
extremely large data volume and intense data rates, therefore demanding
innovative and highly efficient computational paradigms. In this context, we
explore a stream-computing approach with the emphasis on the use of
accelerators. In particular, we make use of a new generation of high
performance stream-based parallelization middleware known as InfoSphere
Streams. Its viability for managing and ensuring interoperability and integrity
of signal processing data pipelines is demonstrated in radio astronomy. IBM
InfoSphere Streams embraces the stream-computing paradigm. It is a shift from
conventional data mining techniques (involving analysis of existing data from
databases) towards real-time analytic processing. We discuss using InfoSphere
Streams for effective DPDM in radio astronomy and propose a way in which
InfoSphere Streams can be utilized for large antennae arrays. We present a
case-study: the InfoSphere Streams implementation of an autocorrelating
spectrometer, and using this example we discuss the advantages of the
stream-computing approach and the utilization of hardware accelerators
Optical power meter using radiation pressure measurement
This paper describes a radiation pressure meter based on a diamagnetic
spring. We take advantage of the diamagnetic property of pyrolytic carbon to
make an elementary levitated system. It is equivalent to a torsional
spring-mass-damper system consisting of a small pyrolytic carbon disc levitated
above a permanent magnet array. There are several possible measurement modes.
In this paper, only the angular response to an optical power single-step is
described. An optical detection composed of a laser diode, a mirror and a
position sensitive detector (PSD) allow measurement of the angular deflection
proportional to the voltage delivered by the PSD. Once the parameters of the
levitated system depending on its geometrical and physical characteristics have
been determined regardless of any optical power, by applying a simple physical
law, one can deduce the value of the optical power to be measured from the
measurement of the first maximum of the output voltage amplitude
Spectral density measurements of gyro noise
Power spectral density (PSD) was used to analyze the outputs of several gyros in the frequency range from 0.01 to 200 Hz. Data were accumulated on eight inertial quality instruments. The results are described in terms of input angle noise (arcsec 2/Hz) and are presented on log-log plots of PSD. These data show that the standard deviation of measurement noise was 0.01 arcsec or less for some gyros in the passband from 1 Hz down 10 0.01 Hz and probably down to 0.001 Hz for at least one gyro. For the passband between 1 and 100 Hz, uncertainties in the 0.01 and 0.05 arcsec region were observed
Large space telescope control moment gyro test program
The underlying theory and design of test instrumentation and computer techniques used to determine the power spectral density (PSD) of the third generation gyro are described in detail. Acceptance test results on the completed instrument are presented as well as composite PSD plots. The measured RMS noise over the frequency band 0.0025 - 10 Hz was 0.012 arc seconds. Results obtained at Martin Company indicate an RMS noise of 0.009 arc seconds (0.05 - 10 Hz). The results obtained showed the TGG performance was close to the proposed LST requirements but that additional development work would be needed to reduce the TGG noise to within more desirable limits
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