Li and Torr published calculations claiming to show that gravitational waves (GWs) propagate inside superconductors with a phase velocity reduction (compared to free space) by a factor n ∼ 300× and a wavenumber increase by a factor n. This gives major opportunities for designing future GW components able to focus, refract, reflect, and otherwise manipulate gravitational waves for efficient coupling to detectors, transmitters, generators, resonant chambers, and other sensors. To exploit this result, a novel type of HFGW lens design is proposed here using a magnetic field to adjust the focal length in an infinitely‐variable manner. Type‐II superconductors do not always completely expel large magnetic fields; above their lower critical field they allow vortices of magnetic flux to channel the magnetic field through the material. Within these vortices, the superconductor is magnetically quenched and so behaves as a non‐superconductor. Varying the applied magnetic field varies the proportion of material that is quenched. This subsequently affects GW propagation behavior through a type II superconductor. Therefore, using a suitable non‐uniform magnetic field, the GW optical path length may be arranged to vary in a technologically useful manner. A GW lens may be designed with focal length dependent upon the applied magnetic field. Such a lens would be invaluable in the design of advanced GW optics since focusing will be achieved electrically with no moving parts; for this reason it would be unparalleled in conventional optics. Since, therefore, variations in n (due to calculation error limits) can be compensated electrically, successful demonstration of this device would confirm the Li and Torr prediction much more easily than directly using a fixed lens structure. The device would also enable fast auto‐focusing, zooming, and imaging tomography using electronic servos following development of the necessary HFGW detectors.
A Novel Variable‐Focus Lens for HFGW
SPACE TECH.& APPLIC.INT.FORUM-STAIF 2006: 10th Conf Thermophys Applic Microgravity; 23rd Symp Space Nucl Pwr & Propulsion; 4th Conf Human/Robotic Tech & Nat'l Vision for Space Explor.; 4th Symp Space Coloniz.; 3rd Symp on New Frontiers & Future Concepts ; 2006 ; Albuquerque, New Mexico (USA)
AIP Conference Proceedings ; 813 , 1 ; 1297-1304
2006-01-20
8 pages
Conference paper
Electronic Resource
English
A Novel Variable-Focus Lens for HFGW
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