Differential temperature sensor system and method

US7665891B1 · kind B1 · utility

Assignee

• The United States of America as represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration · US

Inventors

• Anatoliy Savchenkov · Glendale, US
• Nan Yu · Arcadia, US
• Lute Maleki · Pasadena, US
• Vladimir Iltchenko · Tustin, US
• Andrey B. Matsko · Pasadena, US
• Dmitry V. Strekalov · Arcadia, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Sep 20, 2007
• Grant date: Feb 23, 2010
• Expiry date: Jul 23, 2028

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G01K3/08
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A differential temperature sensor system and method of determining a temperature shift of an optical resonator and its surroundings are provided. The differential temperature sensor system includes a light generating device capable of generating a beam having a carrier frequency, a modulator capable of modulating the beam with a sideband frequency, and an optical resonator capable of supporting an ordinary mode and an extraordinary mode. The system includes an ordinary mode-lock setup capable of locking the carrier frequency of the beam to the ordinary mode of the optical resonator and an extraordinary mode-lock setup capable of locking the sideband frequency of the beam to the extraordinary mode of the optical resonator by providing a specific radio frequency to the modulator substantially corresponding to a frequency shift between the ordinary mode and the extraordinary mode of the optical resonator resulting from a temperature change of the optical resonator. A processor precisely calculates the differential temperature based upon the frequency shift between the ordinary mode and extraordinary mode of the optical resonator.