Accelerometers are key sensors in many fields and applications such as precision metrology, gravimetry measurements, gravitational wave observatories, and navigation where position and attitude need to be determined accurately. A combination of six accelerometers provides all the necessary information to estimate position and orientation of a rigid body and thus serves as an inertial navigation system for autonomous navigation. Fusedsilica based mechanical resonators paired with laser interferometric read-outs enable compact high-accuracy accelerometers. In this talk, we will present a wide-band accelerometer based on a double resonator with two test masses of different sizes in a single frame. One of the resonators has a resonance frequency of about 50 Hz, while the other is optimized for lower frequencies and has a nominal frequency of about 10 Hz. The combination of the two resonators allows for excellent long-term precision while maintaining good measurement bandwidth. We will show the experimental characterization in air and in vacuum of the double-resonator using a heterodyne laser interferometer and a fiber interferometer and its expected performance as an inertial sensor.

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Lee A. Capistran, Adam Hines, Jonathan Joseph Carter, Xiangyu Guo, Guillermo Valdes, Jose Sanjuan, and Felipe Guzman, "Wide-band dual optomechanical resonator for inertial navigation," Proc. SPIE 12447, Quantum Sensing, Imaging, and Precision Metrology, 1244718 (Presented at SPIE Quantum West: February 01, 2023; Published: 8 March 2023); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2655504.