Compact atom interferometry inertial navigation sensors with tailored diffractive optics
| DWPI Title: Diffractive optical system used in atom interferometry-based navigation sensors, has Raman separating optics adapted to receive combined a pair of cross-polarized Raman laser beams and to separate combined a pair of cross-polarized Raman laser beams into a pair of first and second Raman laser beams |
| Abstract: Various optical systems for use in a light pulse atomic interferometer (LPAI)-based one-, two-, or three-axis accelerometer or gyroscope are disclosed. As an LPAI accelerometer or gyroscope may employ many different laser beams to implement the LPAI functionality, ways of combining these different laser beams to thereby simplify the optical systems are desired. The cooling laser beam portion of the optical system may be simplified using one or more reflective grating chips. The Raman laser beam optics may be simplified using combiners and separators. For LPAI systems sensing along three axes, various optical switching schemes may be employed, including ones that generate variable data-rates with a primary sensing axis having a higher data-rate than the secondary sensing axes. Further, by combining various laser beams in a time-multiplexed manner, the number of optical fiber tethers to a sensor head may be reduced. |
| Use: Diffractive optical system used in atom interferometry-based navigation sensors. Uses include but are not limited to gravimeters, accelerometers, gyroscopes, and gravity gradiometers. |
| Advantage: The cooling laser beam portion of the optical system is simplified using one or more reflective grating chips. The Raman laser beam optics are simplified using combiners and separators. The number of optical fiber tethers to a sensor head is reduced by combining various laser beams in a time-multiplexed manner. |
| Novelty: Diffractive optical system, has laser cooling beam optics (735) that adapted to receive a laser cooling beam and to generate at least one laser cooling sub-beam, the laser cooling beam optics including at least one reflective grating chip (715), the laser cooling beam optics adapted to direct each laser cooling sub-beam toward a corresponding reflective grating chip, each reflective grating chip adapted to diffract a corresponding laser cooling sub-beam into a corresponding diffracted laser cooling beams. Raman combining optics (765), the Raman combining optics adapted to receive a pair of Raman laser beams and to combine the pair of Raman laser beams, thereby forming a combined pair of cross-polarized Raman laser beams. Raman separating optics (740), the Raman separating optics adapted to receive the combined pair of cross-polarized Raman laser beams and to separate the combined pair of cross-polarized Raman laser beams into at least one pair of first and second Raman. |
| Filed: 12/9/2021 |
| Application Number: US17546336A |
| Tech ID: SD 15237.1 |
| This invention was made with Government support under Contract No. DE-NA0003525 awarded by the United States Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration. The Government has certain rights in the invention. |
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