Notice Board

Astronomical observations in the far-infrared enable astronomers to study cold regions of the universe where stars form and evolve. While short wavelength photons are absorbed by the gas and dust present in these regions, this energy is re-emitted at far-infrared wavelengths, allowing us to gaze past this veil. Moreover, cosmological expansion shifts shorter wavelengths into the far-infrared, which further increases the appeal of far-infrared measurements. The continually increasing sensitivity required for the advancement of far-infrared astronomy dictates that the next generation of space-based observatories must employ cryogenically cooled telescopes and instrumentation. Operating cryogenic instrumentation in orbit poses several challenges, including the need for extremely low power dissipation and precise position measurement and control. In prior space missions, resistive, capacitive, inductive, and encoder sensors have provided cryogenic displacement measurements. Although never flown in space, the advantages of a range-resolved laser interferometer are attractive for precise displacement measurements in future cryogenic space missions. Other than its employment in far-infrared instrumentation, there are countless applications for range-resolved laser interferometry, including work toward a custom 3-axis cryogenic accelerometer.