Novel Solid State Lasers for Space-Based Water Vapor DIAL

Fibertek, Inc. proposes to develop a novel laser source designed to meet the needs of planned space-based atmospheric water-vapor (WV) differential absorption lidar (DIAL) instruments. Our approach is based on frequency doubling the output wavelength of efficient near-infrared (NIR) solid-state laser materials doped with rare earth ions that can be efficiently pumped by high-brightness semiconductor laser diodes. In our Phase I program we will also demonstrate a novel resonator, designed to reduce the pulse width and increase the extraction efficiency on low-gain, three-level laser transitions. Our proposed innovation has the potential for improving the operating efficiency of water-vapor DIAL laser transmitters by about a factor of two compared to current lasers.

The laser technology to be developed under this SBIR program lays the foundation for an affordable class of space-based remote sensing instruments that are compatible with Earth Venture or ISS-class missions. Because of the lower cost, we expect the frequency of these opportunities to be far greater than those of major missions such as ICESat-2 and those recommended in the decadal study: ACE, ASCENDS, and LIST. EV-class missions also serve as pathfinders for major space-based instruments and thus, reduce the risk for the higher value missions. The technology developed under this SBIR has application for remote sensing of multiple atmospheric species linked to global climate change including methane, water vapor, and potentially carbon dioxide.

In addition to NASA, NOAA has a long history of fielding water-vapor remote sensing instruments—both terrestrial and airborne platforms. Many of these have been based on low-power (laser diode) sources and therefore have limited range capability. The proposed Er:YAG frequency-doubled laser can access the same WV lines but with orders of magnitude higher peak power, which enables measurements with higher precision and coverage rates. Upgrade of existing lidar systems with the new laser technology will also provide a viable market for high-performance laser systems.

This is early/mid-stage (TRL 4) — 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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