SENSOR FOR AMPLITUDE MODULATED ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELD (AMF) BUOY

A NOVEL HIGH PERFORMANCE DETECTOR OF AMPLITUDE-MODULATED ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS (AMF) IS PROPOSED FOR USE IN AIR-DROPPED ASW BUOYS. AN ARRAY OF AMF BUOYS CAN BE USED TO DETECT AND TRACK SUBMERGED SUBMARINES. WE PROPOSE IN PHASE I TO DEFINE THE CONCEPT FOR AN AMF BUOY WHICH UTILIZES A LASER PUMPED ATOMIC OSCILLATOR FOR AMF DETECTION. THE LASER PUMPED ATOMIC OSCILLATOR HAS PROJECTED SENSITIVITY WHICH APPROACHES THAT OF LIQUID HELIUM COOLED SQUID DETECTORS (...) IN THE FREQUENCY BAND FROM DC TO 100KHZ. THE KEY TECHNICAL COMPONENT IS A MINIATURE TUNABLE LASER LIGHT SOURCE FOR PUMPING THE ATOMIC OSCILLATOR WHICH IS BEING DEVELOPED BY POLATOMIC, INC. FOR NASA AND NAVSEA. THE ATOMIC OSCILLATOR SENSOR IS A SCALAR SENSOR AND IS EXPECTED TO BE INDEPENDENT OF MOTIONAL EFFECTS WHEN USED TO DETECT AMF SIGNALS IN THE ELF BAND. LOW PRODUCTION COST IN LARGE QUANTITIES WILL BE ACHIEVED THROUGH THE USE OF COMMERCIAL OPTICAL DATA PROCESSING AND COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUES, LASER TECHNOLOGY AND COMPONENTS. IN PHASE I, WE PROPOSE TO DEFINE THE CONCEPT FOR THE AMF BUOY AND SENSOR, PERFORM FEASIBILITY ASSESSMENT AND DEVELOP A CONCEPT DEMONSTRATION PLAN FOR PHASE II.