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Completed TRL 3 (started at 2, targeting 3)
Compact and electrically driven Terahertz-frequency quantum-cascade lasers (THz-QCLs) (~2x2 mm, <10 W) provide a promising alternative solution to a bulky FIR (far-infrared) gas laser (~0.5x3 meter, ~250 KW) to address several science goals in planetary and earth sciences, astrophysics, and Heliophysics. However, free-running QCLs have stability issues (only stable to <1ppm), and their linewidth is limited to a hundred MHz down to a few KHz. To address the need for a high-resolution (stable) and high-power source in the THz gap, we are working on stabilized QCL using phase locking systems that can be readily adapted to build multi-pixel receivers, tunable heterodyne spectrometers, or interferometers with high-spectral resolution.
This technology will have diverse applications in planetary science, heliophysics, and earth sciences that require high-resolution (>1ppm, R>106), compact, and compatible with cryogenic sensors operating from 1-5 THz.
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