Speaker
Description
We will report our progress on the development of our compact low-frequency optomechanical accelerometers, which consist of monolithically fabricated mechanical resonators that are read out by miniaturized heterodyne laser interferometers. We will also present ODIN, the Optomechanical Distributed Instrument for Inertial Sensing and Navigation, which is a compact, low-mass optomechanical sensing system being developed under NASA’s InVEST program and scheduled to fly on the GRATTIS mission in 2027. Building on laser interferometry heritage from LISA Pathfinder and LISA, ODIN uses an array of optomechanical accelerometers with monolithic mechanical resonators and differential laser interferometers.
Benchtop optomechanical sensors in our lab have shown acceleration noise floors in the order of 80 pico-g/√Hz at sub-Hz frequencies. While ODIN will be flown on space mission, such instruments can be utilized for measurements on ground, either as individual units or as arrays such as ODIN.
We will present our latest results on optomechanical inertial sensors, the development of the ODIN flight system, our compact laser interferometry, laser transponder and phasemeter systems, as well as lab performance and space qualification results.