SBIR Phase I: A Novel Dense Fiber Array for Astronomical Spectroscopy

这个小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第一阶段项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是使天体物理学家有可能极大地扩大他们收集遥远星系光谱的能力，从而促进他们对宇宙的理解。在大规模光谱数据收集中，最重要的因素是每个观看小时获取的光谱数量。计划中的直接光纤定位系统(DFPS)在机械上比当前最先进的定位系统更简单；它将降低每安装光纤的生产成本，并且它将比任何现有设计提供更多的单位面积光纤。星系的光谱对暗能量和暗物质研究项目至关重要，这些项目解决了当今天体物理学中最大的悬而未决的问题。DFPS机械部件的相对简单使其成为具有数万根光纤的光谱仪的更好选择，但也适用于几百根光纤的小得多的阵列，例如可以安装在较小的望远镜上。因此，DFPS将赢得超大型光谱分析仪器的小市场份额，但也将为自己创造一个较小的光谱分析仪器的大市场。这个小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第一阶段项目将是一个小型直接光纤定位系统(DFPS)，该系统由5 mm网格上的4 x 4 16光纤阵列组成。每根光纤将提供3.6 mm x 3.6 mm的运动范围，并将由功耗不到20 mW的电子电路控制。经过校准的摄像机将查看照明的光纤尖端，以10微米的精度监控它们的位置，以测量和展示光纤定位器的精度和重复性。定位器的稳定性将在一个小时的课程中确定，在温暖和寒冷的环境中，以及在水平和垂直方向。光纤的直接移动方法需要精确控制并行施加到多个光纤上的电压，这是一个具有挑战性的电气工程问题，而其他复杂的机械系统已经避免了这一问题。如果我们能够在望远镜的焦面上以10微米的精度定位光纤，我们将能够提供一种新型的、更优越的光纤定位器，这种定位器将比任何其他现有的光纤定位系统更紧凑、更不容易发生机械故障、更不容易腐蚀、更耐疲劳。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is to make it possible for astrophysicists to dramatically expand their ability to collect the spectra of distant galaxies, and so to advance their understanding of the universe. The most important factor in large-scale spectrographic data collection is the number of spectra taken per viewing hour. The planned Direct Fiber Positioning System (DFPS) is mechanically simpler than the current state-of-the-art positioning systems; it will cost less to produce per installed fiber, and it will provide more fibers per unit area than any existing design. The spectra of galaxies is critical to dark energy and dark matter research programs, and these programs address the greatest open questions in astrophysics today. The relative simplicity of the DFPS mechanical components makes it a better choice for spectrographs of tens of thousands of fibers, but also for much smaller arrays of a few hundred fibers, such as could be installed on smaller telescopes. Thus, the DFPS will win a share of the small market for very large spectrographic instruments, but also to create for itself a large market for smaller spectrographic instruments.This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will be a small Direct Fiber Positioning System (DFPS) consisting of a 4 x 4 array of 16 fibers on a 5-mm grid. Each fiber will provide a 3.6-mm x 3.6-mm range of motion and will be controlled by electronic circuits consuming less than 20 mW. A calibrated camera will view the illuminated fiber tips, monitoring their position with an accuracy of 10 µm, to measure and demonstrate the precision and repeatability of the fiber positioner. The stability of the positioner will be determined over the course an hour in warm and cold environments, and in both horizontal and vertical orientations. The direct method of fiber movement requires accurate control of voltages applied to many fibers in parallel, which is a challenging electrical engineering problem that has been avoided by other, mechanically complex systems. If we can locate fibers with an accuracy of 10 µm in the focal plane of a telescope, we will be able to provide a new and superior type of fiber-positioner, one that will be more compact, less vulnerable to mechanical failure, less susceptible to corrosion, and more resistant to fatigue than any other existing fiber-positioning system.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.