Wide Spectrum Transmitter For A Combined Standoff Chem-Bio Sensor

The phase II objective is to develop and deliver an integrated high power FAL CO2 laser. The approach is based on the Phase I effort that resulted in the evaluation of various transmitters for combined chemical and biological agent detection and discrimination. The single CO2 TEA laser operating in the 9-11 ƒÝm band was found to be superior to all other ultraviolet and infrared laser types for combined chemical and biological defense in terms of range, size and weight, simplicity and reliability, ease of deployment, scalability, and costs in production. The Phase II performance objectives are 200 mJ minimum energy per pulse for all wavelengths, a 500 Hz pulse rate, either single mode or multimode beam using an advanced resonator geometry, and sealed operation with a catalyst. The output beam parameters represent a factor of 17 increase in average power compared to the FAL laser now in use with the ECBC sensor.