FABSOAR -- A Fabry-Perot Spectrometer for Oxygen A-Band Research

The absorption of shortwave solar radiation in the atmosphere is a significant driver of climatic processes. Such absorption is characterized by the photon "path length" inside atmospheric clouds and aerosols, which can be calculated via high-resolution measurements of atmospheric absorption lines of oxygen in the 770-nm range. Therefore, this project will develop a Fabry-Perot spectrometer for high-resolution detection of oxygen A-band absorption lines. The instrument will increase throughput a hundredfold compared to a grating spectrometer of equivalent resolving power, thus enabling a much faster detection of bright daytime spectra (up to 60 times faster), and better detection of dimmer twilight spectra. Commercial Applications and other Benefits as described by the awardee In addition to its vital role for atmospheric analysis, the proposed technology has significant commercial potential in both government and private sector markets. Potential applications include atmospheric remote sensing; environmental trace-gas and chemical sensing, detection, and monitoring; and LIDAR.