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Completed TRL 3 (started at 3, targeting 3)
This project will extend the measurement capabilities of the Cryogenic High Accuracy Refraction Measuring System (CHARMS) facility into the long wave infrared (LWIR) spectral region. The CHARMS refractometer is one of the distinctives capabilities within the Optics Branch at GSFC. This refractometer was originally developed in the early 2000’s to provide highly accurate cryogenic index of refraction measurements of the various glass materials that were used in the Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCAM) instrument of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). Since then, CHARMS has contributed critical index data of materials, particularly at cryogenic temperatures of a large variety of glass substrates (over more than 30 different types) for which data had not previously been available. These data have enabled successful design and implementation of refractive both developed by NASA and other institutions around the world.
This project will address multiple Goddard 2040 Strategic Vectors (1, 2, 3, and 5). For example, developing the proposed LWIR upgrades for CHARMS will augment Goddard’s distinctive capability of instrument building and oversight. Prospective CHARMS customers from NASA and beyond will be able to develop more accurate optical models based on the extended wavelength coverage provided by the LWIR upgrade in the CHARMS refractometer. Optical designs with refractive components operating at cryogenic temperatures in the LWIR spectral range are expected to be developed by NASA and outside institutions such as university and aerospace agencies around the world.
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