Remote access to an interferometric fringes stabilization active system via RENATA

Abstract

The Advanced Technology National Network (RENATA, for its acronym in Spanish) is a Colombian, collaborative work tool, linked to other networks worldwide, in which take participation researchers, teachers and students, by sharing laboratory resources located in different universities, institutes and research centers throughout the country. In the Universidad EAFIT (Medellín, Colombia) it has been designed an interferometric fringes stabilization active system, which can be accessed remotely via the RENATA network. A Mach-Zehnder interferometer was implemented, with independent piezoelectric actuators in each arm, with which the lengths of optical path of light that goes over in each of them can be modified. Using these actuators, one can simultaneously perturb the system and compensate the phase differences caused by that perturbation. This allows us to experiment with different disturbs, and analyze the system response to each one of them. This can be made from any location worldwide, and especially from those regions in which optical and optoelectronic components required for the implementation of the interferometer or for the stabilization system are not available. The device can also be used as a platform in order to conduct diverse experiments, involving optical and controlling aspects, constituting with this in a pedagogic tool. For the future, it can be predicted that remote access to available applications would be possible, as well as modifications of the implemented code in labVIEW™, so that researchers and teachers can adapt and improve their functionalities or develop new applications, based on the collaborative work.