| PROPOSAL NUMBER: | 13.06-9681 (For NASA Use Only - Chron: 000320 ) |
| PROPOSAL TITLE: | An Ozone DIAL Transmitter Module for Airborne Applications |
TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
An autonomous differential absorption lidar mounted on a piloted or an unpiloted airborne vehicle (UAV) provides a powerful low cost capability for measurement of ozone distributions in the lower stratosphere and troposphere with good spatial resolution over a large region. Ce:LiCAF tunable UV laser is a strong candidate for building a compact laser transmitter that conforms with the size, weight, and power constraints of the UAV/aircraft. A compact Ce:LiCAF laser with ~1mJ/pulse energy at 1kHz, tunable over 280-315nm, can provide ozone measurements with good spatial resolution and accuracy (5-10%) from 12 or 20 km altitude. In Phase I a breadboard Ce:LiCAF pumped by a diode-pumped Nd:YLF frequency quadrupled laser demonstrated excellent slope efficiency (45%) and generated ~ 0.68mJ at 290nm for 1.89mJ of 262nm pumping at 1kHz. Tuning over 280 to 315 nm, and rapid switching between on- and off-line wavelengths were demonstrated. Long term testing of Ce:LiCAF (5 x 108 shots) has resulted in development of a simple technique for achieving long term operation (> 20 hrs) of the laser with nearly constant output energy. In Phase II an optimized autonomous Ce:LiCAF laser will be built and will be packaged into a rugged modular transmitter for easy operation on a UAV.
POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
In addition to the applications for airborne measurements of ozone many other UAV and terrestrial applications are envisaged. Lidar systems for environmental monitoring, and for measurements of pollutants are some of the anticipated applications. 290 nm is well suited for fluorescence excitation of biological matter and lidars for biological agent detection constitute a very important application.
NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
(Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Coorg Prasad
Science & Engineering Services, Inc
4032 Blackburn Lane
Burtonsville , MD 20866 - 1168
NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR
(Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Science & Engineering Services, Inc
4032 Blackburn Lane
Burtonsville , MD 20866 - 1168