The Laser Development Task of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s (PNNL) Remote Spectroscopy project (PL211I) is focused on the development of novel laser technology for a new generation of standoff and in-situ chemical sensors for detecting the proliferation of nuclear weapons. These lasers will improve the sensitivity, flexibility, or range of active standoff sensors, enable ultra-trace in situ sensors with enhanced selectivity, as well as greatly improve calibration of passive standoff sensors. In particular, laser transmitters with minimal size, weight, and power consumption (SWAP) are needed to meet the requirements for a variety of in situ or short-range stand-off sensors and sensors for small UAVs or other platforms. These laser transmitters need to be rugged and free of requirements for consumables such as liquid nitrogen. Many sensing techniques also require lasers that produce a single narrow wavelength (single longitudinal mode). Lasers that provide high continuous-wave (CW) output power on a single line at operating temperatures accessible with thermoelectric (TE) cooling are therefore essential for sensor applications.
Revised: January 24, 2006 |
Published: December 1, 2005