Related papers: Lunar Silicon Cavity
We consider the phase stability of a local oscillator (or laser) locked to a cavity QED system comprised of atoms with an ultra-narrow optical transition. The atoms are cooled to millikelvin temperatures and then released into the optical…
We report on a design of a compact laser system composed of an extended cavity diode laser with high passive stability and a pre-filter Fabri-Perot cavity. The laser is frequency stabilized relative to the cavity using a serrodyne technique…
Cryogenic ultra-stable lasers have extremely low thermal noise limits and frequency drifts, but they are more seriously affected by vibration noise from cryostats. Main material candidates for cryogenic ultra-stable cavities include silicon…
As humans venture deeper into space, the need for a lunar settlement, housing the first group of settlers, grows steadily. By means of new technologies such as in situ resource utilisation (ISRU) as well as computational design, this goal…
The combination of ultra-cold atomic clouds with the light fields of optical cavities provides a powerful model system for the development of new types of laser cooling and for studying cooperative phenomena. These experiments critically…
An efficient characterization of scientifically significant locations is essential prior to the return of humans to the Moon. The highest resolution imagery acquired from orbit of south-polar shadowed regions and other relevant locations…
We have studied the feasibility and scientific potential of zenith observing liquid mirror telescopes having 20 to 100 m diameters located on the moon. They would carry out deep infrared surveys to study the distant universe and follow up…
Laser pulses fired at retroreflectors on the Moon provide very accurate ranges. Analysis yields information on Earth, Moon, and orbit. The highly accurate retroreflector positions have uncertainties less than a meter. Tides on the Moon show…
The ability to determine the pose of a rover in an inertial frame autonomously is a crucial capability necessary for the next generation of surface rover missions on other planetary bodies. Currently, most on-going rover missions utilize…
Many protocols in quantum science and technology require initializing a system in a pure quantum state. In the context of the motional state of massive resonators, this enables studying fundamental physics at the elusive quantum-classical…
We report on experimental observation of localized structures in two mutually coupled broad-areahttp://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/images/calendar.gif semiconductor resonators. These structures coexist with a dark homogeneous background and…
Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is a powerful tool for vibrational spectroscopy as it provides several orders of magnitude higher sensitivity than inherently weak spontaneous Raman scattering by exciting localized surface plasmon…
The Laser Interferometer Lunar Antenna (LILA) presents a novel concept for observing gravitational waves from astrophysical sources at sub-Hertz frequencies. Compared to the Earth, the seismic environment of the moon, while uncertain, is…
Forty years ago, Apollo astronauts placed the first of several retroreflector arrays on the lunar surface. Their continued usefulness for laser-ranging might suggest that the lunar environment does not damage optical devices. However, new…
The Moon is a unique platform for fundamental astrophysical measurements of gravitation, the Sun, and the Universe. Lacking a permanent ionosphere and, on the farside, shielded from terrestrial radio emissions, a radio telescope on the Moon…
Space weathering is an important surface process occurring on the Moon and other airless bodies, especially those that have no magnetic field. The optical effects of the Moon's space weathering have been largely investigated in the…
Lunar retro-reflector arrays (LRAs) consisting of corner-cube reflectors (CCRs) placed on the nearside of the Moon during the Apollo era have demonstrated their longevity, cost-effectiveness, ease of deployment, and most importantly their…
A proof of concept for a frost detection imager using reflected starlight is presented; the limitations of this technique are explored experimentally. An ice-covered lunar surface is simulated inside a vacuum chamber, which is then…
We describe the design and operation of a high-stability Fabry-Perot cavity, for laser stabilization in cavity quantum-electrodynamics experiments. Our design is based on an inexpensive and readily available uniaxial carbon-fiber reinforced…
We study optical cavity locking for laser stabilization through spatial modulation of the phase front of a light beam. A theoretical description of the underlying principle is developed for this method and special attention is paid to…