Very compact FTIR spectrometer for planetary in-situ measurements, Year 1

Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy is a gold standard for infrared spectroscopy. However, conventional FTIR are bulky because they use motors to change the optical path length of an interferometric arm. This task will develop a an FTIR system for IR in-situ and remote observation with significant reduction in Size, Weight and Power (SWaP) over current IR spectrometers used in space. The key innovation is the use of a recent breakthrough in integrated silicon photonics that enables the realization of ultra-low loss optical switches.

This is a novel FTIR concept in which the optical path difference is realized by a series of switched delay lines in one arm and continuously variable delay line in a second arm. This FTIR was never realized before, and the goal of this work is to demonstrate the feasibility of this concept. The proposed imaging FTIR is fully integrated thus offering significant size/weight/cost advantage over current IR spectrometers used in space.

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.

None of these are guaranteed paths for this specific project — TechPort itself doesn't have an "apply" button. Reaching out to the contact(s) above with a specific question is usually the fastest way to find out what's actually open.