Stroboscopic torsion pendulum

We report on a simple, inexpensive readout for torsion pendulums, suitable for robust applications like teaching-lab equipment or monitoring of large amplitude oscillations. A short light pulse is recorded every time a reflective band on the pendulum inertial member passes in front of the sensor, an...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:European journal of physics 2020, Vol.41 (1), p.15801
Main Authors: Bassan, Massimo, Di Fiore, Luciano, Grado, Aniello, Minenkov, Yury, Reali, Enzo, Pucacco, Giuseppe
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
optical readout system
stroboscopic
torsion pendulum
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Summary:We report on a simple, inexpensive readout for torsion pendulums, suitable for robust applications like teaching-lab equipment or monitoring of large amplitude oscillations. A short light pulse is recorded every time a reflective band on the pendulum inertial member passes in front of the sensor, an infrared LED pair (emitter-receiver). Simple algebraic manipulations on the time series of these pulses arrival times allow one to extract the resonant frequency as well as the decay time of the pendulum. This readout is insensitive to the amplitude of oscillation and is therefore suitable for monitoring torsional oscillations of large amplitude, where traditonal readouts like optical levers or autocollimators encounter dynamic range limitations.
ISSN:0143-0807
1361-6404
DOI:10.1088/1361-6404/ab4c42