Light Filament Sensor

Optical filaments, formed by high intensity ultra-short laser pulses, provide high-intensity coherent white light in the atmosphere at great distances from the laser source. This high-intensity interrogation of the atmosphere yields backward directed emissions for detection from a sensor co-located with the laser system. This has clear advantages for remote sensing in hostile environments, or environments that require rapid deployment of remote sensing equipment, or where a single mobile platform is required. Unlike narrow bandwidth systems, the broad-spectrum generated with optical filamentation may simultaneously provide identification of many different substances with varying spectral signatures. Ionatron has extensive experience and facilities that are necessary for exploring the feasibility of filamentation-based remote sensing concepts and proposes a series of experiments to determine potential capabilities. Should the results of a Phase I effort show promise, Ionatron is uniquely positioned to integrate remote sensing capabilities in currently planned laser-guided electrical discharge products. While, Ionatron possesses world class capabilities in the atmospheric optical filamentation applications, The Denton group at the University of Arizona possesses world class capabilities and facilities related to spectral sensing applications. This collaborative effort joins two organizations with core specialties uniquely tailored for this proposal.