Ultra-Compact Carbon Dioxide Laser For Chemical Sensor

The phase II objective is to develop and deliver an Ultra-Compact CO2 TEA laser for integration with field test breadboard sensors. The approach is based on the Phase I effort that showed the superiority of direct over coherent detection for compact sensors in terms of size, weight, detectivity, and risk; detailed designs incorporating novel features for the Ultra-Compact and Compact lasers with pulse energies and PRFs of 20 mJ and 50 Hz and 100 mJ and 100 Hz, respectively; and design analysis giving a weight for a prototype Ultra-Compact laser of 11 lbs, an advanced production verion weight of 7 lbs, and a prototype and production Compact laser weight of 26 lbs and 16 lbs, respectively. The Ultra-Compact laser can be integrated with a fieldable testbed sensor to develop a much needed performance and detection data base. It can be configured to allow testing of separately developed advanced laser components as they become available.