SBIR-STTR Award

Existing and proposed particle accelerators used in basic research experiments need to record fast moving particles coming from many directions. This project will develop a multi-channel optical measurement system which provides all observation data to a single oscilloscope. The technique utilizes the wide frequency band of a single mode optical fiber. It uses an optical delay line loop to produce a large number of copies of the pulse or pulse train to be measured, so that it can be digitized with a sampling oscilloscope. Signals from different detectors are fed into the optical ring with different delays to form a long single-shot pulse train, so that one sampling oscilloscope gets all the data. The optical delay line loop sampler can be used as a front end of a sampling oscilloscope to measure transient signals. This technique will make it possible to record transient phenomena with a bandwidth easily up to 20 GHz or higher. Phase I will build and bench test the system.

Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee:
This project offers a unique diagnostic instrument for measuring very fast transient signals. This instrument should be of particular interest to the high energy accelerator, linear collider, and laser communication fields.

___(NOTE: Note: no official Abstract exists of this Phase II projects. Abstract is modified by idi from relevant Phase I data. The specific Phase II work statement and objectives may differ)___ Existing and proposed particle accelerators used in basic research experiments need to record fast moving particles coming from many directions. This project will develop a multi-channel optical measurement system which provides all observation data to a single oscilloscope. The technique utilizes the wide frequency band of a single mode optical fiber. It uses an optical delay line loop to produce a large number of copies of the pulse or pulse train to be measured, so that it can be digitized with a sampling oscilloscope. Signals from different detectors are fed into the optical ring with different delays to form a long single-shot pulse train, so that one sampling oscilloscope gets all the data. The optical delay line loop sampler can be used as a front end of a sampling oscilloscope to measure transient signals. This technique will make it possible to record transient phenomena with a bandwidth easily up to 20 GHz or higher. Phase I will build and bench test the system.

Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee:
This project offers a unique diagnostic instrument for measuring very fast transient signals. This instrument should be of particular interest to the high energy accelerator, linear collider, and laser communication fields.