Spacecraft Accelerometry with Parametric Nanoamplifiers Pumped by Radiation-Induced Dispersion Force Modulation

Abstract

In this paper, we discuss new results about the behavior and performance of a novel class of highly sensitive accelerometers previously proposed by the author. The initial motivation for this effort is a technological-push, demand-pull stemming from efforts to achieve a drastic reduction in spacecraft mass and volume needed for the deployment of CubeSat class vehicles to the Moon and Mars, while enabling such vehicles to independently survive by obtaining accurate navigation data during critical mission phases. The device discussed herein is a nano-electromechanical system operating under the simultaneous action of a harmonic electrostatic force and of a Casimir force modulated in time by illumination so as to realize a mechanical parametric amplifier. The analysis is based on original numerical simulations of the nonlinear resonance response of the proof mass while accelerating with respect to an inertial reference frame. © 2023 IEEE.