title: Prototype of an ultra-stable optical cavity for space applications.
abstract: We report the main features and performances of a prototype of an ultra-stable cavity designed and realized by industry for space applications with the aim of space missions. The cavity is a 100 mm long cylinder rigidly held at its midplane by a engineered mechanical interface providing an efficient decoupling from thermal and vibration perturbations. Intensive finite element modeling was performed in order to optimize thermal and vibration sensitivities while getting a high fundamental resonance frequency. The system was designed to be transportable, acceleration tolerant (up to several g) and temperature range compliant [-33°C ; 73°C]. Thermal isolation is ensured by gold coated Aluminum shields inside a stainless steel enclosure for vacuum. The axial vibration sensitivity was evaluated at (4 ± 0.5) × 10(-11)/(m.s(-2)), while the transverse one is < 1 × 10(-11)/(m.s(-2)). The fractional frequency instability is </~ 1×10(-15) from 0.1 to a few seconds and reaches 5-6×10(-16) at 1s.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire national de métrologie et d’essais - Systèmes de Références Temps-Espace, Observatoire de Paris, CNRS, UMR 8630, 61 Av. de l’Observatoire, 75014 Paris, France. berengere.argence@obspm.fr
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Argence
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Prevost
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lévèque
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Le Goff
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bize
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lemonde
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Santarelli
mesh_terms: D004867:Equipment Design; D020342:Finite Element Analysis; D007834:Lasers; D015233:Models, Statistical; D055095:Optics and Photonics; D013026:Space Flight; D013193:Stainless Steel; D013696:Temperature; D013997:Time Factors; D014732:Vibration
chemical_list: D013193:Stainless Steel