Singlet Oxygen Analyzer for COIL Applications

In this SBIR Phase II effort, Los Gatos Research proposes to deliver two unique singlet oxygen analyzers based on our proprietary Off-Axis ICOS technology. The first analyzer will be developed rapidly and provide extractive measurements of singlet oxygen with very high accuracy. The second instrument will be delivered at the end of the Phase II effort and will be capable of simultaneously measuring multiple species of interest to both the COIL and AGIL including singlet oxygen, water vapor, ground state oxygen, and singlet NCl. This system will be integrated directly into the COIL test platform to permit in situ measurement of these gases. In Phase I, we have demonstrated technical feasibility by fabricating an Off-Axis ICOS prototype and quantitatively measuring singlet oxygen density and temperature. The analyzer was shown to have a minimum detectable singlet oxygen density of 3e13 molecules/cm3, sufficient for COIL applications. Furthermore, measurements of ground state oxygen and water vapor were demonstrated and theoretical calculations were undertaken to determine an expected sensitivity for singlet NCl. The proposed analyzer will be the first-ever instrument capable of quantitatively measuring singlet oxygen and will allow COIL researchers to better optimize and understand this important laser.