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Completed TRL 3 (started at 2, targeting 3)
LongWave Photonics and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are proposing the development of high operating temperature terahertz frequency Quantum Cascade Laser for the detection of H2O and OH volatiles on the lunar surface. The improvement in operating temperature to > 250 K allows for increased wall plug efficiency through the use of cryocoolers which operate with improved Carnot efficiency at these temperatures. This allows reducing the size weight and power of the QCL source for use in a lunar instrument. In the proposed work, new quantum well structures will be engineered to increase gain at high temperature. High operating temperatures QCLs will be fabricated into Distributed Feedback Devices to assess the feasibility of frequency control and the impact on maximum operating temperature.
This project aims to support the NASA/GSFC Early Career Initiative (ECI) in the development of the Terahertz Heterodyne Spectrometer for In Situ Resource Utilization (THSiRU). The project is targeted at NASA's requirement for locating and identifying the availability of water and critical volatiles in the Moon's polar and equatorial regions for future in situ resource use and extraction, during the period between Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) to sustainable human presence (2024-2028).
This technology potential use in a lower cost gas spectroscopy system for trace gas detection. Additional potential uses include measurement of field strength and plasma density for magnetically confined fusion.
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