High-precision fiber-optical timing distribution systems over large distances and their application to astroparticle physics facilities

4 Jun 2014, 11:40
20m
Berlagezaal (Beurs van Berlage)

Berlagezaal

Beurs van Berlage

Oral Emerging technologies: 4d) Photonics IV.d Photonics

Speaker

Arnim Balzer (Universiteit van Amsterdam)

Description

Future astroparticle physics facilities like CTA [1] and KM3NeT [2] require a relative timing precision better than 1 ns between detector elements separated by up to 100 km. At the same time, fiber-optical links for high-capacity data transfer from detector elements to central processing facilities are needed. The Open Hardware project White Rabbit [3] provides both data and time transfer functionality over the same optical fiber, and its implementation is currently being investigated for both facilities. Here, we present the current implementation status and performance measurements. In addition, propagation delays of optical 10 Gb/s data over a 75 km long amplified fiber link have recently been determined with an uncertainty of 4 ps [4]. This opens up the possibility of even more precise, picosecond-level precision time transfer over long-distance optical communication links for wide-area astroparticle detector arrays. [1] http://www.cta-observatory.org/ [2] http://www.km3net.org/ [3] http://www.ohwr.org/projects/white-rabbit [4] http://www.opticsinfobase.org/oe/fulltext.cfm?uri=oe-21-26-32643&id=276383

Primary author

David Berge (NIKHEF (NL))

Co-authors

Dr Jeroen Koelemeij (LaserLaB and Dept. Physics & Astronomy, VU University) Maarten De Jong (NIKHEF (NL)) Peter Paul Maarten Jansweijer (NIKHEF (NL)) Mr Ruud Kluit (Nikhef (NL))

Presentation materials