| PROPOSAL NUMBER: | 13.06-7803 (For NASA Use Only - Chron: 002198 ) |
| PROPOSAL TITLE: | A Very Low Power, Highly Integrated Multichannel Scaler |
TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Multichannel Scaler (MCS) electronics are used in lidar-based photon counting applications. Phase-I resulted in a highly integrated, low power, USB-based MCS hardware prototype and Windows-based software. Phase-II will focus on creating a flexible lidar data acquisition system using the Phase-I MCS as a basis. This complete system will meet the needs of multiple programs due to the array of functionality provided. For example, one program might require a single channel with high resolution and little memory space, while another program might require many channels, moderate resolution, and large memory space. In addition to the primary objective of building a complete system, ASRC Aerospace intends to develop several "stand-alone" MCS cards which can each be used in a customer's own data acquisition system. These cards may offer: higher resolution, multiple user-selectable bin size settings, more memory per channel, or more channels. Additionally, card-level changes may result in the inclusion of a higher throughput bus implementation. The developed system may use all or some of these cards, thereby providing maximum flexibility for the end-user.
POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Multichannel Scaler (MCS) electronics are used in ground-based, airborne, and space-based lidar photon counting applications such as:
Atmospheric studies
Sub-surface carbon studies
Portable analysis of toxic plumes
Time-of-flight ion mass spectroscopy
Time-correlated single-photon counting
Phosphorescence lifetime measurements
Due to the programmable nature of the proposed lidar data system, the Phase-II developments will be applicable across many different programs in both commerical and government institutions.
NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
(Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Edward Leventhal
ASRC Aerospace Corporation
6301 Ivy Lane, Suite 300
Greenbelt , MD 20770 - 6356
NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR
(Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
ASRC Aerospace Corporation
6301 Ivy Lane, Suite 300
Greenbelt , MD 20770 - 6356