Fused Optical Railgun Diagnostic Sensor Navy SBIR FY2008.1 Sol No.: Navy SBIR FY2008.1 Topic No.: N08-066 Topic Title: Fused Optical Railgun Diagnostic Sensor Proposal No.: N081-066-0160 Firm: Physical Optics Corporation Applied Technologies Division 20600 Gramercy Place, Bldg.100 Torrance, California 90501-1821 Contact: Oleg Galkin Phone: (310) 320-3088 Web Site: www.poc.com Abstract: To address the Navy need for wide-bandwidth sensors capable of measuring magnetic/electric/temperature fields and assess the equipment health of an electromagnetic launcher, Physical Optics Corporation (POC) proposes to develop a new Fused Optical Railgun Diagnostic (FORD) Sensor based on the novel sensor fusion technique using three fiber optic sensors. The proposed technique uniquely integrates electro-optic sensing elements with polarization-maintaining optical fibers, which will enable the FORD sensor system to simultaneously measure magnetic fields (as high as 30 Tesla), electric fields, and temperature with the bandwidth of at least 1 MHz. The sensoring heads are based on optical transducer design using rugged materials, which allows operation at high temperatures of up to 300 degrees celsius, and will allow fabrication of an all-optical magnetic sensor immune to the electromagnetic interference. In Phase I, POC will demonstrate the feasibility of the FORD sensor technology by designing, analyzing performance, and building a breadboard prototype which will survive static magnetic fields of 30 Tesla and temperature of 300 degrees celsius. In Phase II, POC plans to fabricate a rugged, stand-alone, FORD sensor prototype system with electronics and data acquisition to be tested in transient environment similar to the railgun. Benefits: The proposed FORD system will be used to measure the levels of electromagnetic field and temperature to assess the health of the equipment during operation of the Navy's railgun. In addition, the FORD will find wide application in industries where there is a need to measure the level of high-intensity, high-frequency electromagnetic fields and temperature and to check the condition of high-power electric equipment and motors, such as those used in electric transportation and electric power generation. Miniature and durable FORD measuring heads will also benefit the automotive and aviation industries, where the FORD technology will enable safety monitoring and equipment health evaluation with the high-frequency electromagnetic fields measurements. Return