48-Experimental Protocol Card Template v1.0 | Chapter 4 — Instruments, Materials & Calibration

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Chapter 4 — Instruments, Materials & Calibration

I. Purpose & Scope

• Standardize the recording of instrument lineage, key specifications, and materials list; define calibration tiers, procedures, and freshness gates to ensure metrological closure and reproducibility.
• Applicable to timing / imaging / spectral / mixed modes in lab, field, and remote observations under zero-order paraxial, small-angle, slowly varying-medium conditions.

II. Prerequisites & Inputs

• Instrument lineage: instrument.id, make/model, serial, firmware, instrument.mode ∈ {timing|imaging|spectral|mixed}, channels[].
• Key specs: δt_clk (time resolution), σ_ro (readout noise), g (gain), N_bits (ADC bits), DR (dynamic range), PSF/MTF metrics, τ_sys (system delay), Δτ_ch (inter-channel skew).
• Materials list: reference sources/lamps/pulsers, optics, filters/masks, reference targets/fixtures; batch IDs and expiry.
• Explicit path (if arrival time/phase is involved): paired gamma(ell) and d ell; record delta_form ∈ {general, factored}.
• Reference quantities: c_ref (m/s), λ_ref (m), k_ref = 2π/λ_ref (1/m); dimensional closure verified via check_dim.

III. Procedure

1. Calibration tiers
   Primary (traceable) → Transfer (lab) → In-situ (field); record calib.version and timestamp at each tier.
2. In-situ calibration
   • Timing: lock GNSS 1PPS → fallback to PTP/NTP; pulser/loopback to measure τ_sys and Δτ_ch; write clock_state and threshold decisions.
   • Imaging: Bias/Dark/Flat → PSF/distortion → linearity; output θ = {bias, dark, flat, gain, PSF, distortion} with uncertainties u(θ_k).
   • Spectral: fit lamp lines → wavelength solution / dispersion table n_eff(λ) → linearity and band registration.
3. Delays & dispersion
   Record τ_sys, Δτ_ch, thermal coefficients; for wideband runs, provide n_eff(λ) or equivalent dispersion parameters and use bandwise segments.
4. Metrological closure
   • Arrival time (two equivalent forms):
     T_arr = ( 1 / c_ref ) * ( ∫ n_eff d ell ) ; T_arr = ( ∫ ( n_eff / c_ref ) d ell )
     Phase: Phi = ( 2π / λ_ref ) * ( ∫ n_eff d ell )
   • In text, show gamma(ell) and d ell; exports include check_dim_report.json.
5. Recording & locking
   Write instrument.*, θ and u(θ), clock_state, τ_calib, and see[]/references[] to manifest.yaml and audit.jsonl.

IV. Quality Gates & Stop Criteria

• G5 | Calibration freshness: |ts_start − calib.timestamp| ≤ τ_calib; if expired, enter Restricted mode or trigger recalibration.
• G6 | Noise & robustness: residual robustness Q_res within admissible band; provide an equivalent second-order surrogate when using robust losses.
• G4 | Dimensional closure: p_dim = 1.0; T_arr in s, Phi in rad.
• G2 | Citation compliance: see[]/references[] use “volume + version + anchor (P/S/M/I)”, with anchor coverage ≥ 90%.
• Stop: if clock_state != locked, Δτ_ch over threshold, any u(θ_k) over limit, or p_dim < 1 → tag [Restricted] and pause/fallback.

V. Outputs & Exports

• Data: calibration.parquet (containing θ, u(θ), τ_sys, Δτ_ch, clock_state), observations.parquet.
• Reports: check_dim_report.json, quality_report.json, noise.json, audit.jsonl.
• Manifests: manifest.yaml (version, see[], references[], checksum), schema.json.
• Figure bundle: PSF/MTF curves, distortion grid, delay & channel-alignment trends, dispersion tables/cross-band registration plots.

VI. Citations & Versioning

• Fixed syntax: See "<Volume> vX.Y" <Chapter> <Anchor>; prioritize P/S/M/I anchors.
• Normative anchors: EFT.WP.Metrology.Instrument v1.0, EFT.WP.Metrology.Sync v1.0, EFT.WP.Metrology.TimeBase v1.0, EFT.WP.Metrology.PathCorrection v1.0, EFT.WP.Core.Metrology v1.0:check_dim, EFT.WP.Core.Equations v1.1:S20-1/S21-2.
• Public releases use v1.* only; if citing v0.*, mark “draft / non-committal”.

VII. Checklist

• instrument.id/mode/firmware and channels[] registered; key specs (δt_clk, σ_ro, g, N_bits, DR, PSF, τ_sys, Δτ_ch) complete.
• θ and u(θ) updated and written to calib.version/timestamp; clock_state = locked.
• Wideband: n_eff(λ)/dispersion parameters provided and segmented per band.
• Text shows gamma(ell) and d ell; data records delta_form; check_dim_report.json passes.
• manifest.yaml / schema.json / quality_report.json / audit.jsonl / noise.json ready; figures include PSF/distortion/delay/alignment/dispersion.
• see[]/references[] compliant with ≥90% anchor coverage; public release version locked.