High-speed long-delay optical delay line based on a mirror array structure mounted on the upper surface of a rotating...

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• Optical Engineering

Background:

• Existing optical delay lines face limitations in simultaneously achieving high scanning speeds and long delay times.
• There is a need for advanced optical delay line solutions to overcome these constraints.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and construct a rotary optical delay line capable of high-speed scanning and long delay times.
• To optimize key parameters for simultaneous high performance.

Main Methods:

• Mathematical simulations were employed to optimize design parameters.
• A rotary optical delay line utilizing a 36-facet tilted mirror array was constructed.

Main Results:

• The developed optical delay line achieved a delay time of 94.44 picoseconds.
• A simultaneous scanning speed of 1800 Hz was attained.
• High detection accuracy was maintained alongside these performance metrics.

Conclusions:

• The novel rotary optical delay line design successfully overcomes the limitations of existing technologies.
• This design provides a high-speed scanning solution, advancing the capabilities of optical delay lines.