AOTF Based Imaging Sensor for Enhanced Stand-off Chemical Detection

Physical Sciences Inc. proposes to develop a multispectral imaging system for operation in the 8-11 micron infrared region based on the use of a new type of acousto-optic tunable filter (AOTF). The system will be used to remotely identify and track threat agent and toxic industrial chemical clouds from both stationary and moving platforms. The sensor will be able to detect these clouds with a column density as low as 135 mg/m2, while achieving a spectral resolution of less than 15 cm-1 and an NESR of 2 to 5 µW cm-2 sr-1 µm-1. This effort is in direct support of the mission of the Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical and Biological Defense (JPEO-CBD), which is currently engaged in the development of the Joint Service Lightweight Standoff Chemical Agent Detector (JSLSCAD). The AOTF technology to be exploited under this effort addresses two prominent deficiencies in the single pixel FTIR-based systems under consideration for Increment 2: 1) a large field of view that does not permit accurate detection of the smaller tactical agent clouds that are the current threat; and 2) a slow acquisition time that hinders on the move detection and the use of imaged-based data to estimate the background.