Improved performance of semiconductor laser tracking frequency gauge
Abstract
We describe new results from the semiconductor-laser tracking frequency gauge, an instrument that can perform sub-picometer distance measurements and has applications in gravity research and in space-based astronomical instruments proposed for the study of light from extrasolar planets. Compared with previous results, we have improved incremental distance accuracy by a factor of two, to 0.9 pm in 80 s averaging time, and absolute distance accuracy by a factor of 20, to 0.17 m in 1000 s. After an interruption of operation of a tracking frequency gauge used to control a distance, it is now possible, using a nonresonant measurement interferometer, to restore the distance to picometer accuracy by combining absolute and incremental distance measurements.
Cite
@article{arxiv.1712.03526,
title = {Improved performance of semiconductor laser tracking frequency gauge},
author = {D. M. Kaplan and T. J. Roberts and J. D. Phillips and R. D. Reasenberg},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1712.03526},
year = {2018}
}
Comments
8 pages, 4 figures. To appear in JINST. (This version with new figures 3 and 4 with improved graphic quality and performance.)