2 research outputs found
Optical Truss Interferometer for the LISA Telescope
The LISA telescopes must exhibit an optical path length stability of
in the mHz observation band to meet
mission requirements. The optical truss interferometer is a proposed method to
aid in the ground testing of the telescopes, as well as a risk-mitigation plan
for the flight units. This consists of three Fabry-Perot cavities mounted to
the telescope which are used to monitor structural displacements. We have
designed and developed a fiber-based cavity injection system that integrates
fiber components, mode-matching optics, and a cavity input mirror into a
compact input stage. The input stages, paired with return mirror stages, can be
mounted to the telescope to form the optical truss cavities. We performed a
thorough sensitivity analysis using various simulation methods to support the
fabrication and assembly of three first-generation prototype cavities, each of
which exhibited a satisfactory performance based on our models.Comment: 9 pages, 9 figures, 13 pdf figures attache
Electrostatic guiding of the methylidyne radical at cryogenic temperatures
We have produced a cryogenic buffer-gas cooled beam of the diatomic molecular
radical CH (methylidyne). This molecule is of interest for studying cold
chemical reactions and fundamental physics measurements. Its light mass and
ground-state structure make it a promising candidate for electrostatic guiding
and Stark deceleration, which allows for control over its kinetic energy. This
control can facilitate studies of reactions with tuneable collision energies
and trapping for precise spectroscopic studies. Here, we have demonstrated
electrostatic guiding of CH with fluxes up to molecules per steradian
per pulseComment: 10 pages, 10 figure