Cooperative control of a magnetically levitated interferometer

An experimental study is made on the cooperative control of the optical elements in a laboratory interferometer that resembles a space interferometer formed by three spacecraft in a triangular formation. To simulate the micro-gravity environment, each interferometer element (two collectors and one combiner) is magnetically levitated and free to rotate about a fixed vertical axis. Feedback-controlled disturbance isolation systems are introduced to isolate the optical elements from the collector and combiner motions induced by external disturbances. Sensor data are communicated between the collector and combiner via on-board radio transceivers, and they are used in implementing the cooperative control laws for the optical elements. The main accomplishment of this experimental study is the demonstration that quasi-stationary interference fringes can be captured using our magnetically levitated interferometer with cooperative optical-alignment controls. The capture time duration is on the order of half a second.