PROJECT TITLE: Novel and Efficient Calibration Lamps (7168-500)
TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
In-flight calibration of optical instrumentation on spaceborne platforms is essential to provide accurate Earth Resources/Energy Budget trends. This critical need exists for a variety of applications including imaging radiometers. There is a need to develop miniature, efficient lamps that can provide these calibrations during flights to assure that the responsitivity of the optical instruments is not drifting. For many imaging applications one needs to know the spatial dependance of the responsivity of the detector. Physical Sciences Inc. (PSI) proposes to develop a unique calibration source that will provide a spectrally continuous (400 to 800 nm), constant, flat field output for imaging detectors. Our calibration source is based on a recent development in intense light emitting diodes (LED). In Phase I we will demonstrate the feasibility of using miniature LEDs as calibration sources and also couple the LEDs and an Hg lamp to a non-imaging projector to produce a flat field lamp for calibration of imaging and array detectors.
POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The proposed program will produce a new series of miniature calibration sources that can be applied to variety of important commercial applications including: space and airborne sensors, monitors for process control, and environmental monitoring. The lamps will provide full spatial field spectral calibrations for most existing and future spectrometers.
NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
Steven J. Davis
Physical Sciences Inc.
20 New England Business Center
Methuen , MA 01810
NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR
Physical Sciences Inc.
20 New England Business Center
Andover , MA 01810-1077