ESA technology development activities for fundamental physics space missions

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ESA technology development activities for
fundamentalphysics space missions

• B. Leone, E. Murphy, E. Armandillo
• Optoelectronics Section
• ESA-ESTEC
• European Space Research and Technology Centre
• European Space Agency
• Noordwijk, The Netherlands

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Outline

• Presentation of the Optoelectronics Section
• Fundamental Physics Missions at ESA
• Cosmic Vision
• Technology Needs for Future Fundamental Physics
  Missions
• Technology Development Strategy
• Earth Observation and Planetology
• Current and Planned Activities
• Conclusions

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Optoelectronics Section

• Head Errico Armandillo
• Team of experts
• Detectors
• X-rays
• UV, VIS, IR
• FIR, THz, (sub)mm-wave
• Photonic devices
• Fibres and sensors
• Optical telecommunication
• Lasers
• Lidar
• Distance metrology
• Frequency standards
• Laser-cooled atom interferometry
• Laser damage (laboratory)

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Terms of Reference

• Optoelectronic device technologies and
  applications
• Laser technology and components
• Photonic integrated optics
• Non-linear optics
• Superconductor technology
• Far-IR heterodyne instrument design and
  verification gt 1 THz
• Detector technology and radiometry for the X-ray,
  UV, IR and Far-IR (incoherent and heterodyne) gt 1
  THz

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Our Role within ESA

• Directorate of Technical and Quality Management
• Support Directorate within a matrix organisation
• Customers
• Science
• Human Spaceflight, Microgravity and Exploration
• Earth Observation
• Applications
• Telecommunications
• Navigation
• Initiate technology development activities in
  support of programmes and to enable future
  missions
• Provide technical expertise to projects

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Technology RD

• Initiate and follow up technology development
  activities up to Technology Readiness Level 5/6
• TRL1 - Basic principles observed and reported
• TRL2 - Technology concept and/or application
  formulated
• TRL3 - Analytical and experimental critical
  function and/or characteristic proof-of-concept
• TRL4 - Component and/or breadboard validation in
  laboratory environment
• TRL5 - Component and/or breadboard validation in
  relevant environment
• TRL6 - System/subsystem model or prototype
  demonstration in a relevant environment (ground
  or space)
• TRL7 - System prototype demonstration in a space
  environment
• TRL8 - Actual system completed and "flight
  qualified" through test and demonstration
• (ground or space)
• TRL9 - Actual system "flight proven" through
  successful mission operations

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ESA Technology Landscape
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Qualification and Reliability

• Laser laboratory facility
• Laser diode reliability test envisaged
• Low to high power laser diode multimode
  emitter/bars/stacks
• CW pumping (1-30 Watts) at 808, 9xx nm
• QCW pumping ( 100 Watts peak power)
• Qualification and reliability aspects
• Optical components
• Laser diodes

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Outline

• Presentation of the Optoelectronics Section
• Fundamental Physics Missions at ESA
• Cosmic Vision
• Technology Needs for Future Fundamental Physics
  Missions
• Technology Development Strategy
• Earth Observation and Planetology
• Current and Planned Activities
• Conclusions

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Fundamental Physics Missions at ESA

• Science
• LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna)
• Search for gravitational waves
• 50 NASA
• Technology RD not shared
• LISA Pathfinder (LTP)
• Technology demonstrator mission
• LISA precursor mission
• Cosmic Vision
• Human Spaceflight, Microgravity and Exploration
• ACES (Atomic Clock Ensemble in Space) onboard the
  ISS
• Main goal technology demonstrator
• Test a cold atom clock in space
• Test a hydrogen maser in space
• Time and frequency comparison with ground clocks
• Three fundamental physics tests
• Gravitational red shift increased accuracy
• Search for fine structure constant drift
• Search for Lorentz transformation violations

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Outline

• Presentation of the Optoelectronics Section
• Fundamental Physics Missions at ESA
• Cosmic Vision
• Technology Needs for Future Fundamental Physics
  Missions
• Technology Development Strategy
• Earth Observation and Planetology
• Current and Planned Activities
• Conclusions

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Cosmic Vision 2015-2025
1

• What are the Conditions for Planet Formation and
  the Emergence of Life?
• How does the Solar System Work?
• What are the Fundamental Physical Laws of the
  Universe?
• How did the Universe Originate and what is it
  Made of?

1 Cosmic Vision Brochure BR247
http//www.esa.int/esapub/br/br247/br247.pdf
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Cosmic Vision 2015-2025

• Explore the limits of contemporary physics
• Use stable and weightless environment of space to
  search for tiny deviations from the standard
  model of fundamental interactions
• The gravitational wave Universe
• Make a key step toward detecting the
  gravitational radiation background generated at
  the Big Bang
• LISA follow-up mission
• Matter under extreme conditions
• Probe gravity theory in the very strong field
  environment of black holes and other compact
  objects, and the state of matter at supra-nuclear
  energies in neutron stars
• X-ray and gamma ray astronomy

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Fundamental Physics Explorer Programme

• Do all things fall at the same rate?
• Cold-Atom interferometer
• Do all clocks tick at the same rate?
• Optical clocks
• Does Newtons law of gravity hold at very small
  distances?
• Take advantage of the drag-free environment
• Does Einsteins theory of gravity hold at very
  large distances?
• Pioneer anomaly potential for optical clocks
• Do space and time have structure?
• Fundamental constants
• Cold-atom technology and/or ultra-stable clocks
• Does God play dice?
• BEC, atom laser, atom interferometer
• Can we find new fundamental particles from space?
• Cosmic-ray particle detection

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Outline

• Presentation of the Optoelectronics Section
• Fundamental Physics Missions at ESA
• Cosmic Vision
• Technology Needs for Future Fundamental Physics
  Missions
• Technology Development Strategy
• Earth Observation and Planetology
• Current and Planned Activities
• Conclusions

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Technology Needs for FPEP
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Ultra-High Accuracy Metrology

• Tests fundamental physics theories require
  ultra-high accuracy metrology of
• Distance
• Accelerations
• Rotations
• Time
• Focus on cold-atom technology
• stabilized lasers to cool and manipulate atoms
• atom interferometry to measure accelerations,
  rotations
• (optical) atomic clocks to measure time and
  distance
• Miniaturization and space qualification
• Micro optics, atom chips
• Reliability

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Outline

• Presentation of the Optoelectronics Section
• Fundamental Physics Missions at ESA
• Cosmic Vision
• Technology Needs for Future Fundamental Physics
  Missions
• Technology Development Strategy
• Earth Observation and Planetology
• Current and Planned Activities
• Conclusions

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A Compelling Strategy

• Given
• One potential fundamental physics mission
• Highly competitive, low funding environment
• Cold-atom technology will benefit from space
  environment
• Cold-atom technology will benefit fundamental
  physics
• Large effort needed to bring cold-atom technology
  in space
• Need to propose cold-atom technology as generic
  not limited to fundamental physics (navigation,
  gravimetry)
• Alternatively, find more applications to
  fundamental physics measurements
• Seek objective commonalities with other customers
• For example Gravimetry
• Earth Observation
• Planetology

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Outline

• Presentation of the Optoelectronics Section
• Fundamental Physics Missions at ESA
• Cosmic Vision
• Technology Needs for Future Fundamental Physics
  Missions
• Technology Development Strategy
• Earth Observation and Planetology
• Current and Planned Activities
• Conclusions

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Gravimetry

• Studies
• EO Enabling Observation Techniques for Future
  Solid Earth Missions
• Optoelectronics Section Gravity Gradient Sensor
  Technology for Planetary Missions
• Results
• Sensitive gravimeters using very precise atomic
  clock
• Atom Interferometry gravity gradiometry
• Development of Optical Clocks to measure
  variations of fundamental constants

1, 2
3
1 Enabling Observation Techniques for Future
Solid Earth Missions, Science Objectives for
Future Geopotential Field Mission,
SOLIDEARTH-TN-TUM-001, Issue 6, 1 Nov. 2003. 2
Enabling Observation Techniques for Future Solid
Earth Missions, Final Report, SolidEarth-TN-ASG-0
09, Issue 1, 6 May 2004. 3 Gravity Gradient
Senser Technology for future planetary missions,
Final Report, ESA ITT A0/1-3829/01/NL/ND, 13 July
2005.
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Earth Gravity Missions

• Using satellites to map global gravity field
• Measure geopotential second order derivatives
• Spherical harmonic expansion
• Geoid (equipotential)
• Gravity field
• Anomalies
• Precision (mm, mGal)
• Spatial resolution
• Temporal resolution
• Time span

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Applications

• Use satellite and ground data modelling
• Solid Earth
• Geophysics
• Geodesy
• Hydrology
• Oceanography
• Ice sheets
• Glaciers
• Sea level
• Atmosphere
• Lumped sum
• Aliasing

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Types of Missions

• High Earth orbit (HEO) satellite
• Passive laser reflector (LAGEOS)
• Laser tracking from reference ground stations
• Non-gravitational forces removed by design
  modelling
• High-Low Satellite-to-satellite tracking (SST)
• LEO satellite tracked by GPS type constellation
  (CHAMP)
• Non-gravitational forces measured by
  accelerometers
• Low-Low SST
• Inter-satellite ranging (GRACE)
• Combined with GPS tracking
• Non-gravitational forces measured by
  accelerometers
• Satellite gravity gradiometry (SGG)
• Gravity field accelerations measured by
  accelerometers (GOCE)
• Non-gravitational forces measured by (same)
  accelerometers

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HEO mission

• Use high orbit as natural filter (low harmonics)
• GPS tracking
• Accelerometers
• High precision clock (10-16)
• Advantages
• Innovative
• Earth sciences
• Time keeping
• Fundamental physics
• Telecommunications
• Drawbacks (as compared to LAGEOS)
• Mission life time

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GOCE

• GOCE Gravity field and steady state Ocean
  Circulation Explorer
• Launch date 2006
• Altitude 250 km
• Orbit sun synchronous
• Main payload three-axis gradiometers
• Observables diagonal gravity gradient tensor
  components, Txx, Tyy, Tzz
• Predicted accuracy 100 to 6 mE/vHz
• Measurement band 100 to 5 mHz

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Future Needs

• ESA funded Earth Sciences study Enabling
  Observation Techniques for Future Solid Earth
  Missions by EADS Astrium
• Low-low SST
• Satellite Gravity Gradiometry (SGG)
• Observables diagonal gravity gradient tensor
  components, Txx, Tyy, Tzz
• Required accuracy down to 0.1 mE/vHz
• Measurement band 100 to 0.1 mHz
• (Pointing rate knowledge 410-11 rad s-1/vHz)
• Will current three-axis gradiometer technology be
  able to meet these requirements?
• Can atom interferometry do it better?

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Planets and Moons

• ESA funded GSP study Gravity Gradient Sensor
  Technology for Future Planetary Missions by
  University of Twente

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Future Needs

• Volume and mass constraints
• Size TBD (assumed 10 cm)
• Weight 3 kg
• Available data line of sight
• Required accuracy 1 mE/vHz
• Airplane gradiometers
• (Earth, Mars, Titan)
• Technology review
• Superconducting devices
• MEMS
• Atom interferometry

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AI Gradiometer

• Gravity gradiometer Proof-of-Concept (Kasevich et
  al.)

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Planetary Gradiometer

• Back of the envelope concept
• Assuming laser and optics miniaturisation
• Vacuum chamber size 10 cm
• Atom cloud size 5 mm
• Atomic species Cs or Rb
• Baseline 1 m
• Weight few kg?
• Could achieve 1 mE/vHz
• 1 m baseline 10-13g/vHz
• Interrogation time 10 s

Vacuum chamber with the atom cloud
g1
Gravity gradient (g1-g2)/L
1m
control electronics
g2
Laser
Optical fibers
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Outline

• Presentation of the Optoelectronics Section
• Fundamental Physics Missions at ESA
• Cosmic Vision
• Technology Needs for Future Fundamental Physics
  Missions
• Technology Development Strategy
• Earth Observation and Planetology
• Current and Planned Activities
• Conclusions

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What is needed

• Atom Optics
• Space qualified stable Source of Cold Atoms
• Compact laser sources for cold atom production
• To cool down atoms and control atomic beams
• Ultra-stable Raman Lasers
• For coherent matter wave splitting
• Optical frequency synthesizer
• Space qualifiable femtosecond comb
• Realisation of a feasible Optical Frequency
  standard/s for space
• Select most suitable option from the choices
  available
• Realise a completely optical atomic clock
• Design and verification

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Ongoing Activities

• Atom Optics
• Laser-cooled Atom Sensor for Ultra-High-Accuracy
  Gravitational Acceleration and Rotation
  Measurements
• Optical Atomic Clocks
• Required linewidth narrower than for optically
  pumped microwave atomic clocks
• Ultra-narrow linewidth probe lasers 1 Hz
• Laser-pumped Rubidium gas cell clock
  (780nm/795nm)
• Solutions implemented _at_ 780nm
• External cavity diode laser (ECDL) 100s kHz
• Fabry-Perot (FP) 4-6 MHz
• Laser-pumped Caesium bean clock (852nm/894nm)
• New activity (894nm) in support of
  navigation/GALILEO
• New activity (894nm) ultra-narrow linewidth for a
  more generic application

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Planned Activities

• Optical Frequency Synthesizer activities
• Optical Frequency Comb Critical Elements
  Pre-Development
• Synthesis of optical frequencies and
  identification of critical issues for space
  qualification
• Use for future fundamental physics experiments in
  space
• Space Compatibility Aspects of a Fibre-Based
  Frequency Comb

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Needed Measurement and Verification

• Narrow band diode laser measurements
• To support the ongoing DFB/FP activities
• To initiate new activities aimed at ultra-narrow
  linewidth development
• Establish consistent traceable standards in
  Europe
• Sources of error in linewidth determination
• Heterodyne vs homodyne
• Noise sources
• Line shape dependencies
• Diode laser measurement laboratory
• Comparison with other laboratory

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Possible Future Activities

• Laser frequencies for Optical Atomic Clocks
  Some possibilities
• Single ion
• Hg 282 nm
• In 237 nm
• 171Yb (Octopole) 467 nm
• 171Yb (Quadrupole) 435.5 nm
• 88Sr 674 nm
• Cold atom
• Strontium (Sr) 698 nm
• Ytterbium (Yb) 578 nm
• Calcium (Ca) 657 nm
• Calcium (Ca) 457.5 nm
• Silver (Ag) 661.2 nm

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Outline

• Presentation of the Optoelectronics Section
• Fundamental Physics Missions at ESA
• Cosmic Vision
• Technology Needs for Future Fundamental Physics
  Missions
• Technology Development Strategy
• Earth Observation and Planetology
• Current and Planned Activities
• Conclusions

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Conclusions

• Ongoing/planned work
• Optical Atomic Clocks
• Cold atom source for atom interferometry in space
• Still a lot to be done
• Difficult to secure funding when no clear mission
  is on the horizon
• Adopt strategy of developing generic
  technologies
• Time keeping
• Gravimetry for Earth and planets
• Navigation
• etc
• Comments and suggestions from experts most welcome

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• ? ? ?
• Thank you