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Brigham Young University (BYU), in collaboration with Cornell University, is developing the Advanced Cryogenic L-band Phased Array Camera for Arecibo (ALPACA) as a user provided facility instrument on the Arecibo 305 m radio telescope. This instrument will consist of a fully cryogenic 69-element phased array feed (PAF) and real-time digital beamformer back end capable of producing 40 simultaneous dual polarized beams with approximately 305 MHz of instantaneous bandwidth at 1.4 GHz. The target design goal is to operate with a system noise temperature of 25 K. We report on simulation results and a preliminary overview of the design and progress of the instrument’s development.

A wide-field receiver for the Arecibo Telescope is currently in development, the Advanced L band Phased Array Camera for Arecibo (ALPACA). The Arecibo optical system provides a new challenge for design optimization of phased array feeds. We report on results from a simulation and design optimization study aimed at determining the element layout and geometry that maximizes the receiver sensitivity, field of view, and survey speed.

This paper presents the full-spectral measurement of fiber Bragg grating sensor responses during impact testing of composite laminates. The sensors are embedded in carbon fiber/epoxy laminates which are subjected to multiple low velocity impacts until perforation of the laminate occurs. Applying a recently developed high-speed interrogator, the Bragg grating sensor interrogation is demonstrated at 534 Hz over a 14.9 nm bandwidth. The measurement of the transient response of the grating sensors during impact reveals unique spectral signatures that could not be detected through peak-wavelength monitoring or post-impact full-spectral scanning of the sensors, including local relaxation of the laminate.

This paper presents a new means for collecting fiber Bragg grating (FBG) data during drop tower measurements used to assess damage to composite structures. The high repetition-rate collection process reveals transient features that cannot be resolved in quasi-static measurements. The experiments made at a repetition rate of about 500 Hz show that the detected FBG spectrum broadens for a short period of time and relaxes quickly to a narrower static state. Furthermore, this relaxation time increases dramatically as the strike count increases. The information gained by such measurements will enhance the ability to characterize and distinguish failure modes and predict remaining lifetime in composite laminate structures.

The authors use a fiber sensor integrated monitor (FSIM) as a fully functioning system to characterize the temporal response of a surface-relief fiber Bragg grating (SR-FBG) to temperature heating above 1000 degrees C. The SR-FBG is shown to have a rise time of about 77 ms for heating and a fall time of about 143 ms for cooling. The FSIM also provides full spectral scans at high speed that can be used to gain further insights into the temperature dynamics of a given system.

A fiber Brag grating sensor interrogator has been developed which is capable of gathering vectors of information from individual fiber Bragg gratings by capturing the full optical spectrum 3 kHz. Using a field programmable gate array with high speed digital-to-analog converters and analog-to-digital components, plus a kilohertz rate MEMS optical filter, the optical spectrum can be scanned at rates in excess of 10 million nanometers per second, allowing sensor sampling rates of many kilohertz while maintaining the necessary resolution to understand sensor changes. The autonomous system design performs all necessary detection and processing of multiple sensors and allows spectral measurements to be exported as fast as Ethernet, USB, or RS232 devices can receive it through a memory mapped interface. The high speed - full spectrum - fiber Bragg grating sensor interrogator enables advanced interrogation of dynamic strain and temperature gradients along the length of a sensor, as well as the use of each sensor for multiple stimuli, such as in temperature compensation. Two examples are described, showing interrogation of rapid laser heating in an optical fiber, as well as complex strain effects in a beam that had an engineered defect.

This paper presents a new means for collecting fiber Bragg grating (FBG) data during drop-tower measurements used to assess damage to composite structures. The high repetition-rate collection process reveals transient features that cannot be resolved in quasi-static measurements. The experiments made at a repetition rate of about 500 Hz show that the detected FBG spectrum broadens for a short period of time and relaxes quickly to a narrower static state. Furthermore, this relaxation time increases dramatically as the strike count increases. The information gained by such measurements will enhance the ability to characterize and distinguish failure modes and predict the remaining lifetime in composite laminate structures.