Frequency-Stable Offset-Locked Lasers for ASCENDS and 3D Winds

We propose the potential to develop significant improvements to size, weight, and prime power requirements of front-end cw lasers and associated frequency stabilization and offset-locking photonics and electronics that are utilized in laser-based remote sensing systems for the measurement of atmospheric CO2 concentrations and wind velocity. The emphasis in the proposed program is to develop stable front-end sources for 2-micron wavelength systems, but it is anticipated that much of the design will be readily applicable to a broad array of short-wave IR wavelengths, e.g. 1.57 micron, by the use of alternative laser gain media. Although the Phase I design and Phase II implementation will be aimed at airborne platforms, only designs that have a clear and practical path to future space-based implementation will be considered. The Beyond Photonics team is uniquely qualified to explore the state-of-the-art in relevant lasers and frequency stabilization techniques and develop improved front-end systems that have a demonstrable path to robust, compact airborne and space-based applications. Our team's deep experience with such systems lends a perspective that will yield significant gains in system compactness, efficiency, and autonomous reliability for a wide array of applications relevant to NASA's missions, and improve the viability for other commercial and military applications in eye-safe remote sensing.

NASA commercial applications for the innovations in frequency-stable 2-um lasers and associated atmospheric spectroscopic remote sensing control technologies include the NASA ASCENDS program, as well as space-based coherent winds (3D Winds), atmospheric pollution monitoring and mitigation systems, chemical and biohazard detection and avoidance, and airborne meteorological instrumentation requiring very environmentally-robust, compact, high-performance cw single-frequency lasers and associated spectral control instrumentation.

Potential non-NASA commercial applications include airborne and ground-based atmospheric CO2 measurement systems, military applications involving high-velocity target tracking and ranging and long-range (10's-100's of km)imaging of hard targets, wind energy management and site optimization, commercial airport environmental management and wake vortex detection and avoidance.

This is early/mid-stage (TRL 2) — the most realistic path in is NASA SBIR/STTR, which funds small businesses and research institutions to develop technology aligned with NASA's needs (equity-free, phased funding). Check whether a current SBIR/STTR solicitation topic overlaps with this project's technology area, or contact the project directly (above) to ask.

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