Space position measurement using long-path heterodyne interferometer with optical frequency comb.

A heterodyne interference system was developed for position measurement. A stabilized optical-frequency comb is used as the laser source. The preliminary experiment to measure a distance of 22.478 m shows a drift of 1.6 μm in 20 minutes after the temperature compensation. Comparison and frequency shift experiments have been done for a distance of about 7.493 m. The experimental results show that the drift is mainly caused by environmental condition changes and the vibration of the table and floor also has some effects. It was verified that the absolute distance measurement can be realized by fringe scanning and frequency-shifting methods.