PRECISION ACCELEROMETERS FOR GRAVITY GRADIENT MEASUREMENTS

Citation
Jj. Suter et al., PRECISION ACCELEROMETERS FOR GRAVITY GRADIENT MEASUREMENTS, Johns Hopkins APL technical digest, 15(4), 1994, pp. 347-352
Citations number
NO
Categorie Soggetti
Physics, Applied","Multidisciplinary Sciences
ISSN journal
02705214
Volume
15
Issue
4
Year of publication
1994
Pages
347 - 352
Database
ISI
SICI code
0270-5214(1994)15:4<347:PAFGGM>2.0.ZU;2-4
Abstract
An accelerometer, based on a microwave sapphire resonator, is under de velopment for application in a compact gravity gradiometer. This gravi ty gradiometer potentially can be used in space gradiometry, precision navigation, and geodesy. The principle of operation of the accelerome ter is based on measurements of classical spring-proof-mass displaceme nts, which are converted to phase shifts in the output signal of a sap phire microwave resonator transducer. A prototype accelerometer has de monstrated a figure of merit sensitivity [Q(df/dx)] of 3.9 x 10(2) MHz /mum. With a proof mass of 4500 g and a cantilevered beryllium-copper spring having a spring constant of about 60,000 N/m, this result corre sponds to the detection of micro-g accelerations for low-frequency (<1 Hz) components of the acceleration vector by means of a precision fre quency reference source.