On 30 June, the third engineering model subsystem developed as part of the CARIOQA-PMP project was delivered: the laser source.
The acceleration measurement performed by the CARIOQA mission instrument is based on an atom interferometer accelerometer, whose test mass consists of a cloud of laser-cooled atoms. Frequency-stabilised lasers are used to trap, cool and interrogate the atoms. The laser source generates the various laser beams required for these operations.
This essential subsystem was developed by EXAIL. Commissioning and performance validation were completed successfully, with no anomalies detected. Integration with the EGSE and the microwave source, previously delivered by Tetelel and Leonardo, will take place over the coming weeks.
The team is delighted to welcome this new subsystem to the Optical Service laboratory at Auger. It marks another important milestone towards a fully functional ground-based instrument.
