2-µm high-power, high repetition rate pulsed fiber laser for lidar Martian atmospheric CO2 and pressure profiling

Our diverse team of engineers and atmospheric physicists proposes to develop a 2-µm high-power, high-repetition rate fiber laser transmitter. This laser is the key component of the novel pulsed Differential Absorption Lidar (DIAL) for Martian atmospheric CO2 and pressure profiling. Martian atmosphere consists dominantly of CO2 (about 95%). Global CO2 observations, especially over polar regions where dry ice deposition frequently occurs, are urgently needed considering current pace of Mars’s exploration. Furthermore, air pressure and pressure gradient are the most important variables for atmospheric dynamics that drive atmospheric motion and transports of mass, heat and momentum. Although air pressure is extremely important in characterizing Martian atmosphere, significant global observation gaps exist. There is no systematic observation of horizontal and vertical pressure distributions. Martian atmospheric CO2 and pressure observations will fill this observational gap and address multiple planetary science priorities and objectives, especially those identified by the NASA Science Plan 2020 – 2024 and Planetary Science Decadal Survey. Improving our understating of Mars’s atmosphere and its dynamics is crucial for future Mars exploration. This project will take the advantage of the expertise from all team members, the success of the Earth’s CO2 DIAL system development, and the invaluable progresses in fiber laser amplifier from multiple NASA SBIR projects. The laser of the transmitter will be developed from a single-mode distributed feedback (DFB) seed laser plus optical fiber amplifier system. Wavelength stabilization and variation monitoring will be applied to seed laser. For the high-power fiber-laser amplifier, technologies for both pulsed systems at nearby wavelengths and continuous-wave lasers at the needed ones will be used to achieve our requirements of 2-5 mJ laser pulse energy at a pulse repetition frequency of 1-2 kHz. A pulsed laser output of millijoules at 2.05 mm has not been accomplished before. With this laser, a transmitter toward future Martian CO2 DIAL system will be constructed. Our research team consists of laser/lidar engineering, remote sensing, atmospheric science, and planetary science expertise. Our team has successfully collaborated for many years in many lidar technology development efforts, Earth’s CO2 lidar development, atmospheric observational project collaborations, space/suborbital mission formulation, implementation, and execution processes. For this project, NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) will be responsible for project management, overall system design and fabrication, instrument integration, and testing. AdValue Photonics, Inc will be in charge of the 2.05 µm amplifier manufacture and provide financially in-kind manpower support. This is a 3-year project, starting on October 1, 2022. The entry TRL of the transmitter is 2 and at the end of this project the TRL will be at level 4. Furthermore, this proposed work will advance the entire Martian CO2 DIAL system to TRL-3.

Enabling lower cost innovative remote sensing instrument development from concept through breadboard and demonstration

This is a mature technology (TRL 7+) — the realistic path in is usually NASA's Technology Transfer Program: licensing an existing NASA patent, or a Space Act Agreement to use NASA facilities/expertise directly. NASA also runs a startup licensing program with no upfront fee for companies formed to commercialize a specific NASA technology.

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