Science

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18:17 GMT

Distributed Brillouin Sensor

Ask a person what they know about fiber optic cables and most would say it is something used in phone and Internet communications. That may be changing as AIP's Physics News reports on a novel use for all that extra fiber spun during the dot.com boom. In Update 768 is a report on the development by University of Ottawa researchers of "Distributed Brillouin Sensors". The Brillouin effect describes how light interacts with variations in its path caused by temperature or acoustics (phonons). By using the fact that phonons could alter the frequency of light waves in a fiber, researchers were able to make a sensor which could detect very small changes in a material caused by strains. For example, one of their demonstrations ran optical fiber around a piece of metal pipe (like those used in oil or gas transport) and were able to pinpoint strains with an accuracy of 5cm and magnitude of 20 microstrains. This is significant as current analysis of the health of structures like pipelines is done on a spot basis which is time consuming, expensive and less accurate. This DBS even exceeds the hopes of industry which have been looking for ways to detect changes of 50 microstrains with one meter accuracy. Other uses could be in the testing of concrete for large structures and it could go a long way to more effective monitoring and repair of infrastructure like bridges. So the pundits are right - fiber will be everywhere!
No comments yet    13-Mar-2006

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13:59 GMT

Mars: MRO's Big Day

At 3:49 PM EST the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter will begin its orbital insertion after a speedy seven month journey. The critical time period will be 4:46 - 5:16 PM EST as the orbiter travels behind the planet as the engine braking burn is completed and by about 5:30 PM NASA JPL will begin receiving telemetry with the status of the craft. JPL has quite a few pages dedicated to the mission and today's orbital insertion: Doppler Imaging of the crafts velocity; NASA TV Live from JPL all day; simulated views from the MRO . We hope everybody used the proper units in the orbital programs and all parts work as they should - in 1993, NASA lost contact with the Mars Observer spacecraft before entering orbit and in 1999 the Mars Climate Orbiter failed on arrival. Go MRO!
No comments yet    10-Mar-2006


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