Dynamic Multicomponent Optical Analyzer for Chemical Weapon (CW) Exposure Studies

Spectral Sciences Inc. proposes to develop a sensor for real-time trace-level analysis of complex multicomponent gas mixtures containing Chemical Weapon (CW) agents and interferents. The approach is based on the combination of a digitally controlled widely tunable quantum cascade laser source and an advanced photoacoustic signal transducer. In Phase I, Spectral Sciences Inc. has demonstrated the feasibility of a quantum cascade laser source for ultrasensitive spectroscopy featuring digitally controlled random-access wavelength tuning and high modulation bandwidth. The photoacoustic signal transducer is based on a novel noise-cancelling approach to optical interferometric sensing. Advanced detection algorithms take advantage of laser’s random-access tunability and high modulation bandwidth to optimize the time resolution of sub-ppb gas concentration measurements. The sensor development in Phase II will lead to a field-ready high time-resolution sensor which will provide the US military with a unique capability in the field of CW agent detection. The core spectrometer will also provide a universal hardware platform for laser sensing in the near-, mid- and long-wave infrared spectral regions, which will find military and civilian applications in the chemical, petroleum, and pharmaceutical industries, as well as in public health, public safety, and medicine.