Distances are one of the most fundamental properties that humanity uses to describe the world and has learned to measure in an amazing variety of ways using everything from the length of your forearm to the wavelengths of photons or even electrons or atoms.

In modern industrial societies length measurements are deeply embedded into all production processes and the requirements for range, resolution, speed and absolute accuracy are constantly growing. In modern production machines such as CNC mills or lathes these measurements have to be performed not only with micrometer resolution but in these machines there are dozens of distances that have to be measured rapidly and simultaneous while they are also changing at high speeds of meters per second.

The University of Oxford has developed a technology called Frequency Scanning Interferometry (FSI) capable of measuring absolute distances with high accuracy (better than half a micrometer per meter) and high time resolution of 2.7 million measurements per second. This technology is being successfully commercialised with an industrial partner (Etalon AG) and has found many applications in industry and science. The current commercially available state of FSI is however not yet capable of measuring fast moving targets in a continuous form.

The group of Prof Reichold at the University of Oxford has recently developed a novel method for rapid distance measurements of fast moving targets referred to as Phase Modulation Interferometry (PaMIr)
The PaMIr method is backward compatible with the hardware used for FSI measurements and will maintain the unique features of FSI such as simultaneous measurements of many distances and a low cost per measurement channel. This compatibility allows a measurement to start at an absolute distance measured with FSI, which can then be tracked at high speed with the PaMIr method.

The PaMIr project aims to develop the basic PaMIr principles to a state ready for implementation in a commercial instrument in a collaboration with Etalon and VadaTech. Together with VadaTech and Etalon we have already developed a first optical readout system for FSI. We will build on this development and further improve its performance to meet the PaMIr requirements.

Ultimately we expect to license the PaMIr technology to Etalon AG to make the technique commercially available for industrial and scientific application alike and to license the firmware we develop to VadaTech to allow the use of their DAQ systems as multi-channel digital lock-in amplifiers or PLL and PID controllers.
This particular grant application seeks funding to purchase capital equipment (reference instruments and additional DAQ element) that will help to accelerate the development and improve the performance of the PaMIr technique. The original IPS funding round could not support the cost of such equipment.

A successful PaMIr instrument would find industrial applications as follows
- Manufacturers of machine tools and metrology instruments deploying FSI technology in their products.
- Metrology service providers integrating PaMIr technology into production factories.
- Aerospace and energy manufacturers can reduce manufacturing costs and improve product performance. They can also reduce re-work and improve tolerances.
- Improved manufacturing accuracy in airplane wings leads to reduced weight (less fettling and shims) and aerodynamic drag (natural laminar flow) and thus reduced fuel consumption.
- Manufacturers with multiple CNC machines or robots in one factory can use PaMIr enhanced Absolute Multiline systems as calibration instruments for many CNC machines.

Academic beneficiaries are pointed out in a separate section.