Description:

Abstract: Recent experiments with optically levitated particles have shown incredible promise for various forms of high-precision sensing. At the Air Force Research Laboratory, we are particularly interested in applying levitated optomechanics to accelerometry to improve inertial navigation. The broad adjustability of levitated optomechanical systems could facilitate unique accelerometers with operating parameters that can be adjusted in real time to suit changing dynamics. This talk presents an overview of AFRL’s current progress demonstrating a levitated optomechanical accelerometer, including a detailed analysis on the combinations of acceleration sensitivities and maximum-tolerated accelerations that can reasonably be achieved. Additionally, solid-state optical refrigeration of levitated particles has been suggested as a way to reduce blackbody-radiation-induced noise and prevent particles from overheating in levitated systems. This talk discusses those problems and how optical refrigeration could or could not be used to address them in the context of accelerometry.

Speaker: Maxwell Gregoire, US Space Force

Host: Andrew Geraci

Keywords: Physics, CFP, ECE, SPQT