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Dual-quadrature phasemeter for space-based interferometry

Callum S. Sambridge* and Kirk McKenzie

  • *Contact author: callum.sambridge@anu.edu.au
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Phys. Rev. Applied 24, 014009 – Published 2 July, 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/35vl-5wh1

Abstract

This letter presents a dual-quadrature phasemeter, an implementation of a phase-locked loop designed to track the phase of homodyne and heterodyne intersatellite laser links. Dual-quadrature phasemeters use dual-quadrature optical detection to enable an alternate phase readout scheme that operates with wider bandwidths and on signals with carrier-frequency differences down to dc. Analytical modeling demonstrates that dual-quadrature phasemeters overcome the bandwidth limitations of conventional phasemeters. Numerical simulations of noise linearity tests found that the phase-tracking error of the dual-quadrature phasemeter is less than 10 microcycle/Hz in the presence of nonlinear cyclic errors. The dual-quadrature phasemeter enables exploration of an optical configuration for retroreflector-based space geodesy missions with architecture similar to that implemented in the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On mission. One such alternate configuration is proposed that is capable of tracking satellite separation without requiring a frequency offset between local and incoming light, eliminating the need for optical frequency shifters.

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Outline

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Phys. Rev. Applied 24, 014009– Published 2 July, 2025
  • Received 5 November 2024
  • Revised 11 May 2025
  • Accepted 18 June 2025
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Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI.

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