Patents by Inventor Stephen Paul Eckel

Stephen Paul Eckel has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20230360817
    Abstract: A photonically multiplexed optical measurement apparatus for performing optical multiplexing includes a laser that produces laser light, an optical switch that receives the laser light from the laser and produces a switched laser light, and a plurality of sensor heads, each sensor head being configured to measure a respective physical property of a plurality of cold atoms disposed in the sensor head. The optical switch optically switches the laser light from the laser to a selected sensor head and subsequently to a different sensor head.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 1, 2023
    Publication date: November 9, 2023
    Inventors: Stephen Paul ECKEL, Daniel Schaeder BARKER
  • Patent number: 11291103
    Abstract: A uniaxial counter-propagating monolaser atom trap cools and traps atoms with a single a laser beam and includes: an atom slower that slows atoms to form slowed atoms; an optical diffractor including: a first diffraction grating that receives primary light and produces first reflected light; a second diffraction grating that receives primary light and produces second reflected light; and a third diffraction grating that receives the primary light and produces third reflected light; and a trapping region that forms trap light from the reflected lights and receives slowed atoms to produce trapped atoms from the slowed atoms that interact with the trap light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2022
    Assignee: GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AS REPRESENTED BY THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE
    Inventors: Stephen Paul Eckel, Daniel Schaeder Barker, James Anthony Fedchak, Julia Kay Scherschligt, Eric Burton Norrgard, Nikolai Nikolaevich Klimov
  • Patent number: 11175224
    Abstract: An optical refraction barometer measures pressure based on refractivity changes and includes: an optical light source; an optical frequency controller; a first optical phase controller; a first polarization controller; an electronic reference arm in optical communication with the first polarization controller; a second optical phase controller in optical communication with the optical frequency controller; a second polarization controller in optical communication with the second optical phase controller; an electronic sample arm in optical communication with the second polarization controller and in electrical communication with the second optical phase controller; a second sideband frequency generator; a mixer in electrical communication with the detector and the second sideband frequency generator; and a first sideband frequency generator in electrical communication with the mixer; and a dual fixed length optical cavity refractometer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2021
    Assignee: GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AS REPRESENTED BY THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE
    Inventors: Kevin O'Connell Douglass, Stephen Paul Eckel, Jacob Edmond Ricker, Jay Howard Hendricks
  • Publication number: 20200355606
    Abstract: An optical refraction barometer measures pressure based on refractivity changes and includes: an optical light source; an optical frequency controller; a first optical phase controller; a first polarization controller; an electronic reference arm in optical communication with the first polarization controller; a second optical phase controller in optical communication with the optical frequency controller; a second polarization controller in optical communication with the second optical phase controller; an electronic sample arm in optical communication with the second polarization controller and in electrical communication with the second optical phase controller; a second sideband frequency generator; a mixer in electrical communication with the detector and the second sideband frequency generator; and a first sideband frequency generator in electrical communication with the mixer; and a dual fixed length optical cavity refractometer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 24, 2020
    Publication date: November 12, 2020
    Inventors: Kevin O'Connell Douglass, Stephen Paul Eckel, Jacob Edmond Ricker, Jay Howard Hendricks
  • Publication number: 20200120785
    Abstract: A uniaxial counter-propagating monolaser atom trap cools and traps atoms with a single a laser beam and includes: an atom slower that slows atoms to form slowed atoms; an optical diffractor including: a first diffraction grating that receives primary light and produces first reflected light; a second diffraction grating that receives primary light and produces second reflected light; and a third diffraction grating that receives the primary light and produces third reflected light; and a trapping region that forms trap light from the reflected lights and receives slowed atoms to produce trapped atoms from the slowed atoms that interact with the trap light.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 10, 2019
    Publication date: April 16, 2020
    Inventors: Stephen Paul Eckel, Daniel Schaeder Barker, James Anthony Fedchak, Julia Kay Scherschligt, Eric Burton Norrgard, Nikolai Nikolaevich Klimov