Currently in the initial stages of development, the endeavor aims to use satellite-to-satellite tracking laser interferometer-based optical technique, to document fluctuations in earth’s gravitational field indicating other critical changes in the environment. This system must be able to measure infinitesimal changes in the relative velocity of the two satellites, using a laser light source, which oscillates at frequency stability better than 10-13 in the square root of the Allan variance. We have stabilized the laser’s oscillation frequency using the Faraday effect of Rb absorption lines. This method modulates the reference frequency of the stabilization system by modulating the magnetic field applied to the Rb absorption cell, instead of the oscillation frequency of the laser diode. Furthermore, we have adapted the “double optical feedback” to the laser diode for narrowing its oscillation spectrum and improving its frequency stability. In recent years, a “femtosecond optical comb generator” has been developed as a new reference frequency source for absolute frequency measurement. This optical comb generator is controlled by the microwave frequency standards systems and provides stability of 4x10-13 at an averaging time of 1s and at the order of 10-15 at 1000s averaging time. We have measured the frequency stability of our system using the optical comb. We obtained the best spectrum narrowing effect using two gratings as external reflectors in the double optical feedback setup. The obtained results were 6.269x10-11 ≤ σ ≤ 1.516x10-10 (24.11kHz ≤ f ≤ 58.31kHz) from 1s to 39s in the averaging time.
Currently in the initial stages of development, the endeavor aims to use satellite-to-satellite tracking laser interferometer-based optical technique, to document fluctuations in earth's gravitational field indicating other critical changes in the environment. This system must be able to measure infinitesimal changes in the relative velocity of the two satellites, using a laser light source, which oscillates at frequency stability better than 10-13 in the square root of the Allan variance. The constraints placed upon the system will ultimately require that the interferometer's light-source be small, lightweight, extremely efficient, durable, and possess high frequency-stability. Present-day technology of a laser diode possesses all of these characteristics, except the last and most critical one; frequency stability. So, our ongoing efforts are all focused on the search for a method of stabilizing the oscillation frequency of the satellite-to-satellite laser-diode light source. We used a Rubidium absorption line as a frequency reference of the frequency stabilization system and the "double optical feedback" method to narrow the laser diode's oscillation linewidth, in order to improve its frequency stability. We have measured the frequency, to determine its degree of stability, by comparing the "femtosecond optical comb generator"- and laser diode-frequencies.
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