On-Axis Optical Bench for Laser Ranging Instruments in Future Gravity Missions

verfasst von: Yichao Yang, Kohei Yamamoto, Miguel Dovale Álvarez, Daikang Wei, Juan José Esteban Delgado, Jianjun Jia, Gerhard Heinzel, Vitali Müller
Abstract: The laser ranging interferometer onboard the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On mission proved the feasibility of an interferometric sensor for inter-satellite length tracking with sub-nanometer precision, establishing an important milestone for space laser interferometry and the general expectation that future gravity missions will employ heterodyne laser interferometry for satellite-to-satellite ranging. In this paper, we present the design of an on-axis optical bench for next-generation laser ranging which enhances the received optical power and the transmit beam divergence, enabling longer interferometer arms and relaxing the optical power requirement of the laser assembly. All design functionalities and requirements are verified by means of computer simulations. A thermal analysis is carried out to investigate the robustness of the proposed optical bench to the temperature fluctuations found in orbit.
Organisationseinheit(en): Institut für Gravitationsphysik
QuantumFrontiers
SFB 1464: Relativistische und quanten-basierte Geodäsie (TerraQ)
Externe Organisation(en): CAS - Shanghai Institute of Technical Physics
Graduate University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
Max-Planck-Institut für Gravitationsphysik (Albert-Einstein-Institut)
Typ: Artikel
Journal: Sensors
Band: 22
ISSN: 1424-8220
Publikationsdatum: 07.03.2022
Publikationsstatus: Veröffentlicht
Peer-reviewed: Ja
ASJC Scopus Sachgebiete: Analytische Chemie, Information systems, Atom- und Molekularphysik sowie Optik, Biochemie, Instrumentierung, Elektrotechnik und Elektronik
Elektronische Version(en): https://doi.org/10.3390/s22052070 (Zugang: Offen)

BibTeX

@article{92b8fb1b5c6245a1afabca34b601f2b4,
title = "On-Axis Optical Bench for Laser Ranging Instruments in Future Gravity Missions",
abstract = "The laser ranging interferometer onboard the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On mission proved the feasibility of an interferometric sensor for inter-satellite length tracking with sub-nanometer precision, establishing an important milestone for space laser interferometry and the general expectation that future gravity missions will employ heterodyne laser interferometry for satellite-to-satellite ranging. In this paper, we present the design of an on-axis optical bench for next-generation laser ranging which enhances the received optical power and the transmit beam divergence, enabling longer interferometer arms and relaxing the optical power requirement of the laser assembly. All design functionalities and requirements are verified by means of computer simulations. A thermal analysis is carried out to investigate the robustness of the proposed optical bench to the temperature fluctuations found in orbit.",
keywords = "GRACE, Heterodyne readout, Inter-satellite ranging, Laser interferometry",
author = "Yichao Yang and Kohei Yamamoto and {Dovale {\'A}lvarez}, Miguel and Daikang Wei and {Esteban Delgado}, {Juan Jos{\'e}} and Jianjun Jia and Gerhard Heinzel and Vitali M{\"u}ller",
note = "Funding Information: Funding: This work has been supported by: the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the Max Planck Society (MPG) in the framework of the LEGACY cooperation on low-frequency gravitational-wave astronomy (M.IF.A.QOP18098); The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation, Project-ID 434617780, SFB 1464). Clusters of Excellence “QuantumFrontiers: Light and Matter at the Quantum Frontier: Foundations and Applications in Metrology” (EXC-2123, project number: 390837967); PhoenixD: “Photonics, Optics, and Engineering—Innovation Across Disciplines” (EXC-2122, project number: 390833453).",
year = "2022",
month = mar,
day = "7",
doi = "10.3390/s22052070",
language = "English",
volume = "22",
journal = "Sensors",
issn = "1424-8220",
publisher = "Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute",
number = "5",
}