Development of an Optic Fiber Based Hybrid Spectroscope

NASA has supported several instrument development efforts for exploration of Mars other extraterrestrial bodies.This exemplifies the importance of new instrument development efforts for successful advancement of NASA missions.With this in mind Laser&Plasma Technologies successfully demonstrated feasibility of integrating LIBS&Raman instruments into Optical Based Hybrid Spectroscope that meets NASAs desire for targeted elemental and compound determination.Through Phase II efforts this unique hybrid instrument will have lightweight compact design amenable for integration into a Mars Rover type platform that the head of the instrument can be positioned by the Rovers robotic arm to the target of interest while data is sent to the main unit within the body of the rover for analysis & storage.For future manned missions,the hybrid instrument may enable recognition of important elemental minerals for mining and compounds that may be used for locally sourced agriculture. Another application is collection of fluorescent data, allowing NASA to explore biological compounds that may be present in Martian soils in minute quantities.Major advantages of a dual instrument include more rapid and accurate data collection from precise targets,minimal damage to substrate materials & avoidance of switching between different systems.In addition to benefits in NASA missions,this novel instrument may improve target identification, compositional measurement in market currently utilizing standalone spectroscopy such metal recycling,chemical processing,archeology, mining operations,historical art pharmaceuticals medical research others.This system also has applications for the DoD where the high laser intensity LIBS aspect of the instrument could inspect and then drill through coatings to analyze subsurface targets, providing valuable infrastructure data on coatings and subsurface corrosion as well as other metallurgical data

NASA has a desire to explore other planets moons to assess the composition of such extraterrestrial bodies.NASA has supported several efforts in the area of Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy LIBS to perform elemental analysis and has expressed desire to incorporate Raman Spectroscopy functionality to perform compound analysis.LPT is proposing to further advance the Phase1 development efforts of Optical Fiber Based Hybrid Spectroscope to develop this technology into compact robust instrument that can be used on Mars type Rover for extraterrestrial exploration.Instrument design will be structurally amenable for integration into Mars Rover type of platform enable rapid acquisition of both types of data from single target location. LPT has developed the methodology such that the head of the instrument can be positioned by the Rover’s robotic arm to the target of interest.This feature may provide opportunity for the high laser intensity LIBS aspect of instrument to both inspect then drill through clean surfaces to analyze subsurface targets.Another application for the proposed instrument is for collection of fluorescent data.Fluorescent data collection can benefit NASA in the exploration biological compounds that may be present in Martian soils in minute quantities.In addition the presence of water fluorescence and Raman spectra can give indications of moisture related processes in rocks &soil

Standalone Raman,LIBS systems are used in a variety of industries, including metal recycling,chemical processing archeology mining operations historical art harmaceuticals medical research others.These systems also have potential applications in infrastructure health monitoring.The key for successful introduction of an Optical Based Hybrid Spectroscope into these markets is to demonstrate the major advantages a dual instrument can provide.These advantages include more rapid and accurate data collection of both types of spectra from precise targets minimal damage to substrate materials & avoidance of time consuming switching between 2 different commercial systems.The Hybrid spectroscope provides features that are desirable for DOD application,where the high laser intensity LIBS aspect of instrument could inspect then drill through coatings to analyze subsurface targets. The LIBS & Raman features at the target location allow the instrument to provide infrastructure data on coating subsurface corrosion as well as metallurgical data.It could benefit military depot operation to implement novel spectroscope for analysis of paint composition & degradation of composite chemical bond.Proposed instrument to improve the bottom line for target identification compositional measurements in markets while the lightweight compact design form will aid a greater variety of applications

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