OPTICALLY ISOLATED SENSORS FOR MEGAWATT COMPONENTS

THE DEVELOPMENT OF A NEW FAMILY OF FIBER OPTIC SENSORS WHICH ARE BASED ON THE ELECTRO-OPTIC EFFECT IS PROPOSED. INTRINSICALLY, THESE SENSORS OFFER IMMUNITY TO THE EFFECTS OF ELECTROMAGENTIC INTERFERENCE (EMI), MAKING THEM IDEAL SENSORS FOR OPERATION IN, NEAR, OR ON MEGAWATT COMPONENTS. THE RELEVANT TECHNOLOGY DEMONSTRARION PROPOSED UNDER PHASE I WILL BE THE DEVELOPMENT OF A VOLTAGE SENSOR WHICH WILL HAVE A DYNAMIC RANGE GREATER THAN 40 DB AND AN AC MEASUREMENT BANDWIDTH CAPABILITY GREATER THAN A GHZ. A NOVEL POLARIMETRIC OUTPUT DETECTION SCHEME IS ALSO PROPOSED WHICH PRODUCES A SENSOR OUTPUT THAT IS INSENSITIVE TO SOURCE LIGHT INTENSITY VARIATIONS, MICROBENDING LOSSES, RADIATION DARKENING OF THE OPTICAL FIBERS, AND SCINTILLATION OR OTHER LIGHT-PRODUCING EVENTS. THE PROPOSED PHASE I EFFORT WILL FOCUS ON: RELEVANT TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT AND FABRICATION OF PROTOTYPE VOLTAGE SENSORS; PERFORMANCE EVALUATION AT THE SPONSOR'S LABORATORY (ETDL); AND CLOSE COORDINATION WITH RELATED TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS AT THE NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS.