The Development of an Optic Fiber Based Hybrid Spectroscope

Laser & Plasma Technologies (LPT), teamed with the National Science Foundation (NSF) Center for Lasers at the University of Virginia (UVA), proposes an advanced optical fiber coupled hybrid spectroscope for in situ characterization of organic compounds. The proposed approach provides information on organic compounds by analyzing spectra obtained from Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) and Raman Spectroscopy (Raman) with a novel approach of using a single pulsed laser. The hybrid spectroscope yields elemental compositions from LIBS and molecular information from Raman strongly complement each other. The use of optical fibers offers advantages of small, light, and flexibility for various NASA planetary missions. An innovative laser beam scanning head provides an ultra-compact solution to achieve 1D or 2D raster scanning from a robotic arm. LPT has extensive expertise in material detection and monitoring by optical sensing technologies. The expertise combined with LPT's core competencies in advanced laser micromachining and optical sensing, provides a solid foundation to achieve the goal of this project. A Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 4 is anticipated by the end of the Phase I project.