Novel material temperature stability evaluation device and evaluation method based on optics

Abstract

The invention relates to a novel material temperature stability evaluation device and evaluation method based on optics. The novel material temperature stability evaluation device comprises a laser, an optical isolator, a half-wave plate, a polarization splitting prism, an optical fiber coupler, a single-mode polarization maintaining optical fiber, an optical fiber collimator, a 45-degree reflector to be measured, a light spot analyzer, a temperature control optical bread board and a heat preservation box. By directly measuring the change of the mass center position of the light spot, the deformation condition of the optical device along with the temperature is measured, and then the temperature stability of the device is given. The method can be used as an optical system component temperature stability screening scheme, and can also be used as a direct evaluation method for temperature relative stability of different materials.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of quantum optics technology, and in particular to a novel optical-based material temperature stability evaluation device and evaluation method. Background Art

[0002] In recent years, the development of cold atom physics and quantum optics related technologies has accelerated the process of atom interferometers from laboratories to engineering and productization. Some quantum measurement devices such as atomic clocks, gravimeters and gradiometers have been initially experimentally verified on trucks, airplanes and ships. However, as the core component of the entire interferometer, the optical system currently still has a series of problems such as complex system debugging and poor environmental adaptability. Therefore, solving related problems such as the stability of the optical system is crucial to promoting the development of the industry.

[0003] In the interferometer optical system, the free-space optical path usually mounts the optical components on the metal structure to achieve the change of laser polarization and direction. The choice of metal material is related to the stability of the final optical system. Due to the huge differences in the chemical composition and structure of different metal materials, their temperature stability is also different. The temperature stability of the material is usually characterized by measuring the thermal expansion coefficient. However, in the actual use of the optical path, the lens and the metal structure are installed by gluing or mechanical means. The metal structure, optical components and the way they are fixed together determine the temperature stability of the optical components. The thermal expansion coefficient evaluation method cannot test the temperature of a single optical element structural material or the temperature stability of a single optical element module. Summary of the invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art and provide a new optical-based material temperature stability evaluation device and evaluation method. By using a spot analyzer with micron-level resolution and a scientifically designed measurement optical scheme, the temperature stability of metal materials is evaluated by the directional stability of the optical path, which is more in line with the actual application scenarios of metal materials, provides a test method for environmental adaptability experiments of optical components, and can also be used as a direct evaluation method for the relative temperature stability of different types of materials.

[0005] The present invention solves the technical problem by the following technical solutions:

[0006] A novel optical-based material temperature stability evaluation device, including a laser, an optical isolator, a half-wave plate, a polarization beam splitter, a fiber coupler, a single-mode polarization-maintaining fiber, a fiber collimator, a 45° reflector to be tested, a spot analyzer, a temperature-controlled optical breadboard and an incubator;

[0007] The laser output passes through the optical isolator, is split and polarized by the half-wave plate and polarization beam splitter prism in sequence, enters the optical fiber coupler, and is then introduced into the optical fiber collimator on the temperature-controlled optical breadboard in the insulation box through the single-mode polarization-maintaining optical fiber coupling adjustment. The single-mode polarization-maintaining optical fiber output laser is first collimated and output by the optical fiber collimator, and then reflected by the 45° test mirror on the temperature-controlled optical breadboard, and vertically irradiated onto the detection surface of the spot analyzer on the temperature-controlled optical breadboard, forming a measurement optical path, and completing the temperature stability evaluation of the test mirror frame of the 45° test mirror.

[0008] Furthermore, a heating sheet is attached to the bottom of the temperature-controlled optical breadboard.

[0009] Furthermore, heat insulation cotton is attached to the inner wall of the heat preservation box.

[0010] Furthermore, the optical fiber collimator, the 45° reflector to be measured and the spot analyzer are fixed on the temperature-controlled optical breadboard by using epoxy resin glue.

[0011] An evaluation method using a novel optical-based material temperature stability evaluation device comprises the following steps:

[0012] Step 1: Connect the evaluation device to the measurement optical path:

[0013] The laser output passes through the optical isolator, and is split and polarized by the half-wave plate and polarization beam splitter prism in sequence, and then enters the fiber coupler, and is then introduced into the fiber collimator on the temperature-controlled optical breadboard in the incubator through the single-mode polarization-maintaining fiber coupling adjustment. The single-mode polarization-maintaining fiber output laser is first collimated and output by the fiber collimator, and then reflected by the 45° reflector to be measured, and vertically irradiated onto the detection surface of the spot analyzer to form a measurement optical path; the central light height of the fiber collimator, the 45° reflector to be measured and the spot analyzer is 20mm;

[0014] Step 2: Adjust the rotation angle of the half-wave plate so that the laser light intensity incident on the spot analyzer is less than 1 mW;

[0015] Step 3. Open the spot analysis to control the software, set the exposure time to automatic mode, and the software will automatically change the exposure time until a clear spot outline appears on the screen;

[0016] Step 4: Turn on the spot analysis function. The evaluation process requires the use of the position coordinate parameters of the spot mass center. During the measurement process, this parameter is continuously recorded to mark the changes in the spot position.

[0017] Step 5, controlling the internal temperature of the heat preservation box by an external temperature controller, and changing the controlled temperature means changing the temperature of the reflector frame of the 45° reflector to be tested;

[0018] Step 6, set different temperature control temperatures in turn, and record the position change of the light spot after the temperature stabilizes;

[0019] Complete material temperature stability assessment.

[0020] The advantages and positive effects of the present invention are:

[0021] By using a spot analyzer with micron-level resolution and scientifically designing a measurement optical solution, the temperature stability of metal materials is evaluated through the directional stability of the optical path, which is more in line with the actual application scenarios of metal materials and provides a test method for environmental adaptability experiments of optical components. The material temperature stability test is achieved using a purely optical method, which can be used as an evaluation method for screening structural materials of optical components in temperature adaptability tests of optical systems, and can also be used as a direct evaluation method for the relative temperature stability of different types of materials. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a novel optical-based material temperature stability evaluation device of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a 45° reflector to be tested of the novel optical-based material temperature stability evaluation device of the present invention;

[0024] In the figure:

[0025] 1-laser, 2-optical isolator, 3-half-wave plate, 4-polarization beam splitter, 5-fiber coupler, 6-single-mode polarization-maintaining fiber, 7-fiber collimator, 8-45° reflector to be tested, 8-1 reflector frame to be tested, 8-2 reflector lens to be tested, 8-3 incident light, 8-4 measuring light, 9-spot analyzer, 10-temperature-controlled optical breadboard, 10-1 heating plate, 11-insulation box, 11-1 thermal insulation cotton. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] The present invention is further described in detail below through specific examples. The following examples are only illustrative and not restrictive, and the protection scope of the present invention cannot be limited thereto.

[0027] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 As shown, a novel optical-based material temperature stability evaluation device includes a laser 1, an optical isolator 2, a half-wave plate 3, a polarization beam splitter prism 4, a fiber coupler 5, a single-mode polarization-maintaining fiber 6, a fiber collimator 7, a 45° reflector to be tested 8, a spot analyzer 9, a temperature-controlled optical breadboard 10 and an incubator 11.

[0028] The laser output from the laser 1 passes through the optical isolator 2, and is split and polarized by the half-wave plate 3 and the polarization beam splitter prism 4 in sequence, and enters the optical fiber coupler 5, and is then coupled and adjusted by the single-mode polarization-maintaining optical fiber 6 to be introduced into the optical fiber collimator 7 on the temperature-controlled optical breadboard 10 in the incubator 11. The laser output from the single-mode polarization-maintaining optical fiber 6 is first collimated and output by the optical fiber collimator 7, and then reflected by the 45° test mirror 8 on the temperature-controlled optical breadboard 10, and vertically irradiated onto the detection surface of the spot analyzer 9 on the temperature-controlled optical breadboard 10, forming a measuring optical path, and completing the temperature stability evaluation of the test mirror frame 8-1 of the 45° test mirror 8.

[0029] A heating plate 10 - 1 is attached to the bottom of the temperature-controlled optical breadboard 10 to achieve temperature control of the measurement optical path.

[0030] The reflector frame 8-1 of the reflector 8 to be tested is made of the metal material to be tested and is placed in the measuring light path. The deformation of the metal material with the temperature control temperature will change the reflection angle θ of the reflector lens 8-2 of the reflector 8 to be tested, causing the measuring light 8-4 incident on the light spot analyzer 9 to be displaced. The light spot analyzer 9 is used to measure and record the movement of the light spot, thereby characterizing the deformation size of the reflector frame 8-1 to be tested.

[0031] The temperature stability of the material is measured and evaluated by using a novel optical-based material temperature stability evaluation method through changes in the laser pointing direction. The direction of the incident light 8-3 of the reflector 8 to be tested remains unchanged. When the mirror frame to be tested deforms with temperature, the angle of the reflected light 8-4 of the reflector 8 to be tested will change, and will eventually be received by the spot analyzer.

[0032] An evaluation method using a novel optical-based material temperature stability evaluation device comprises the following steps:

[0033] Step 1: Connect the evaluation device to the measurement optical path:

[0034] The laser output of the laser 1 passes through the optical isolator 2, and is split and polarized by the half-wave plate 3 and the polarization beam splitter prism 4 in sequence, and enters the optical fiber coupler 5, and then is coupled and adjusted by the single-mode polarization-maintaining optical fiber 6 to be introduced into the optical fiber collimator 7 on the temperature-controlled optical breadboard 10 in the incubator 11. The laser output of the single-mode polarization-maintaining optical fiber 6 is first collimated and output by the optical fiber collimator 7, and then reflected by the 45° reflector 8 to be measured, and vertically irradiated onto the detection surface of the spot analyzer 9, forming a measuring optical path; the central light height of the optical fiber collimator 7, the 45° reflector 8 to be measured and the spot analyzer 9 is 20 mm;

[0035] Step 2, adjusting the rotation angle of the half-wave plate 3 so that the laser light intensity incident on the spot analyzer 9 is less than 1 mW;

[0036] Step 3, open the spot analysis 9 to control the software, set the exposure time to automatic mode, and the software will automatically change the exposure time until a clear spot outline appears on the screen;

[0037] Step 4: Turn on the spot analysis function. The evaluation process requires the use of the position coordinate parameters of the spot mass center. During the measurement process, this parameter is continuously recorded to mark the changes in the spot position.

[0038] Step 5, controlling the internal temperature of the heat preservation box 11 by an external temperature controller, changing the controlled temperature means changing the temperature of the reflector frame 8-1 of the 45° reflector 8 to be tested;

[0039] Step 6, set different temperature control temperatures in turn, and record the position change of the light spot after the temperature stabilizes;

[0040] The reflector frame 8-1 of the reflector 8 to be tested is made of the metal material to be tested and is placed in the measuring light path. The deformation of the metal material with the temperature control temperature will change the reflection angle θ of the reflector lens 8-2 of the reflector 8 to be tested, causing the measuring light 8-4 incident on the light spot analyzer 9 to be displaced. The light spot analyzer 9 is used to measure and record the movement of the light spot, thereby characterizing the deformation size of the reflector frame 8-1 to be tested.

[0041] The temperature stability of the material is measured and evaluated by using a novel optical-based material temperature stability evaluation method through changes in the laser pointing direction. The direction of the incident light 8-3 of the reflector 8 to be tested remains unchanged. When the mirror frame to be tested deforms with temperature, the angle of the reflected light 8-4 of the reflector 8 to be tested will change, and will eventually be received by the spot analyzer.

[0042] The reflector frame 8-1 to be tested made of alloy material (4J335) and the reflector frame 8-1 to be tested made of stainless steel material (06Cr19Ni10) are placed in the optical path for measurement in turn, and the size of the light spot displacement caused by temperature changes in the two cases is compared, so as to compare the difference in temperature stability of the two metal materials.

[0043] Table 1 Typical values ​​of deformation of reflector frames made of two different materials (4J335 and 06Cr19Ni10) with temperature changes

[0044]

[0045] Table 1 shows the typical values ​​of the deformation of the reflector frame made of two different materials (4J335 and 06Cr19Ni10) with temperature changes. In the experiment, the changes in the centroid and position of the light spot displayed by the light spot analyzer 9 at 20°C and 50°C were measured. From the measurement results, it can be seen that when the temperature changes by 30°C, the position change of the reflected light spot of the reflector made of the alloy material 4J335 is smaller than that of the reflected light spot of the reflector made of the stainless steel material 06Cr19Ni10, that is, the temperature stability of the reflector made of the alloy material 4J335 is better than that of the reflector made of the stainless steel material 06Cr19Ni10. This result is consistent with the relative size of the thermal expansion coefficients of the two materials (thermal expansion coefficient 4J335: 6.5×10 -6 ;06Cr19Ni10:16×10 -6 ) are consistent with the results given by , which proves the effectiveness of this method.

[0046] The temperature experiment in the environmental adaptability experiment of the optical system needs to evaluate and screen the temperature stability of the entire optical path and individual optical devices. The temperature stability of the optical path is ultimately reflected in the changes in the optical path direction and the optical power. The power can be directly measured, and the change in the optical path direction caused by the change in ambient temperature is very small. The present invention directly measures the change in the centroid position of the light spot to measure the deformation of the optical device with temperature, and then gives the temperature stability of the device. The present invention can be used as a temperature stability screening solution for optical system components, and can also be used as a direct evaluation method for the relative temperature stability of different materials.

[0047] Although the embodiments and drawings of the present invention are disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various substitutions, changes and modifications are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention and the appended claims. Therefore, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the contents disclosed in the embodiments and drawings.

Claims

1. A novel optical-based material temperature stability evaluation device, characterized in that: It comprises a laser (1), an optical isolator (2), a half-wave plate (3), a polarization beam splitter (4), an optical fiber coupler (5), a single-mode polarization-maintaining optical fiber (6), an optical fiber collimator (7), a 45° reflector to be tested (8), a light spot analyzer (9), a temperature-controlled optical breadboard (10) and an incubator (11); The laser output of the laser (1) passes through an optical isolator (2), is split and polarized by a half-wave plate (3) and a polarization beam splitter (4) in sequence, enters an optical fiber coupler (5), and is then coupled and adjusted by a single-mode polarization-maintaining optical fiber (6) to be introduced into an optical fiber collimator (7) on a temperature-controlled optical breadboard (10) in an incubator (11). The laser output of the single-mode polarization-maintaining optical fiber (6) is collimated and output by the optical fiber collimator (7), and then reflected by a 45° reflector to be tested (8) on the temperature-controlled optical breadboard (10), and vertically irradiated onto a detection surface of a light spot analyzer (9) on the temperature-controlled optical breadboard (10), thereby forming a measurement optical path, and completing a temperature stability evaluation of a reflector frame (8-1) to be tested of the 45° reflector to be tested (8).

2. The novel optical material temperature stability evaluation device according to claim 1 is characterized in that: A heating plate (10-1) is attached to the bottom of the temperature-controlled optical breadboard (10).

3. The novel optical material temperature stability evaluation device according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The inner wall of the heat preservation box (11) is affixed with heat insulation cotton (11-1).

4. The novel optical material temperature stability evaluation device according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The optical fiber collimator (7), the 45° reflector to be measured (8) and the light spot analyzer (9) are fixed on a temperature-controlled optical breadboard (10) by using epoxy resin glue.

5. An evaluation method using the novel optical material temperature stability evaluation device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: Step 1: Connect the evaluation device to the measurement optical path: The laser output of the laser (1) passes through the optical isolator (2), is split and polarized by the half-wave plate (3) and the polarization beam splitter prism (4) in sequence, enters the optical fiber coupler (5), and is then coupled and adjusted by the single-mode polarization-maintaining optical fiber (6) to be introduced into the optical fiber collimator (7) on the temperature-controlled optical breadboard (10) in the thermal insulation box (11). The laser output of the single-mode polarization-maintaining optical fiber (6) is collimated and output by the optical fiber collimator (7), and then reflected by the 45° reflector to be measured (8), and vertically irradiated onto the detection surface of the light spot analyzer (9), thereby forming a measurement optical path; the central light height of the optical fiber collimator (7), the 45° reflector to be measured (8) and the light spot analyzer (9) is 20 mm; Step 2, adjusting the rotation angle of the half-wave plate (3) so that the intensity of the laser light incident on the spot analyzer (9) is less than 1 mW; Step 3, open the light spot analysis (9) to control the software, set the exposure time to automatic mode, and the software will automatically change the exposure time until a clear light spot outline appears on the screen; Step 4: Turn on the spot analysis function. The evaluation process requires the use of the position coordinate parameters of the spot mass center. During the measurement process, this parameter is continuously recorded to mark the changes in the spot position. Step 5, controlling the internal temperature of the heat preservation box (11) by an external temperature controller, and changing the controlled temperature means changing the temperature of the reflector frame (8-1) of the 45° reflector (8) to be tested; Step 6, set different temperature control temperatures in turn, and record the position change of the light spot after the temperature stabilizes; Complete material temperature stability assessment.

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