Related papers: MICROSCOPE instrument description and validation
Of all planet-finding techniques, microlensing is potentially the most sensitive to Earth-mass planets. However, microlensing lightcurves generically yield only the planet-star mass ratio: the mass itself is uncertain to a factor of a few.…
Semiconductor microelectronics are emerging as a powerful tool for building smart, autonomous robots too small to see with the naked eye. Yet a number of existing microrobot platforms, despite significant advantages in speed, robustness,…
Conducting levitated mechanical experiments in extreme conditions has long been the aim of researchers, as it allows for the investigation of new fundamental physics phenomena. One of the great frontiers has been sending these experiments…
Here follows a preliminary report on the construction of fake millimeter and sub-millimeter skies, as observed by virtual instruments, e.g. the COBRA/SAMBA mission, using theoretical modeling and data extrapolations. Our goal is to create…
Recent advances in optical magnetometry have achieved record sensitivity at both macro- and nano-scale. Combined with high bandwidth and non-cryogenic operation, this has enabled many applications. By comparison, microscale optical…
Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites are essential for providing accurate navigation and timing information worldwide. Operating in medium Earth orbit (MEO), these satellites must maintain precise Earth-pointing attitudes to transmit…
The navigation systems of autonomous aircraft rely on the readings provided by a suite of onboard sensors to estimate the aircraft state. In the case of fixed wing vehicles, the sensor suite is composed by triads of accelerometers,…
We report on a compact, highly sensitive all-fiber accelerometer suitable for low frequency and low amplitude vibration sensing. The sensing elements in the device are two short segments of strongly coupled asymmetric multicore fiber (MCF)…
A hybrid optoelectronic vibration sensing system is presented, combining a conventional charge-mode piezoelectric accelerometer with an optical fiber interface via a liquid crystal-based electrical-to-optical transducer. This configuration…
Accelerator magnets steer particle beams according to the field integrated along the trajectory over the magnet length. Purpose-wound coils measure these relevant parameters with high precision and complement efficiently point-like…
A procedure has been developed for the charge, mass and energy calibration of ions produced in nuclear heavy ion reactions. The charge and mass identification are based on a $\Delta$E-E technique. A computer code determines the conversion…
In order to understand the nature of the lenses that generate microlensing events, one would like to measure their mass, distance, and velocity. Unfortunately, current microlensing experiments measure only one parameter of the events, the…
Magnetically controlled capsule endoscope (MCCE) is an emerging tool for the diagnosis of gastric diseases with the advantages of comfort, safety, and no anesthesia. In this paper, we develop algorithms to detect and measure human gastric…
Accelerator magnet test facilities frequently need to measure different magnets on differently equipped test stands and with different instrumentation. Designing a modular and highly reusable system that combines flexibility built-in at the…
The Micro Solar-Flare Apparatus (MiSolFA) is a compact X-ray imaging spectrometer designed for a small 6U micro-satellite. As a relatively inexpensive yet capable Earth-orbiting instrument, MiSolFA is designed to image the high-energy…
This paper presents a novel method for smaller-sized humanoid robots to self-calibrate their foot force sensors. The method consists of two steps: 1. The robot is commanded to move along planned whole-body trajectories in different double…
We describe a space-borne, multi-band, multi-beam polarimeter aiming at a precise and accurate measurement of the polarization of the Cosmic Microwave Background. The instrument is optimized to be compatible with the strict budget…
For many years, astronomers interested in white dwarf stars have promised that the study of these relatively simple compact objects would ultimately lead to useful information about the physics under extreme conditions of temperature and…
LISA Pathfinder is a science and technology demonstrator of the European Space Agency within the framework of its LISA mission, the latter aiming to be the first space-borne gravitational wave observatory. The payload of LISA Pathfinder is…
The European Proximity Operation Simulator (EPOS) of the DLR-German Aerospace Center is a robotics-based simulator that aims at validating and verifying a satellite docking phase. The generic concept features a robotics tracking system…