TOXIN DETECTION BY UV LIDAR

REAL TIME DETECTION OF TOXIC MATERIALS CAN LIKELY BE PERFORMED BY MEANS OF LIDAR (LIGHT DETECTION AND RANGING) USING CALIBRATED ULTRA-VILOT (UV) LASER INDUCED FLUORESCENCE (LIF) SIGNATURES. SUCH A SYSTEM WOULD BE USEFUL FOR STAND-OFF DETECTION OF DISTANT THREATS AS WELL AS IN LOCAL DECONTAMINATION PROCEDURES. REALIZATION OF UVLIDAR IS PRESENTLY HINDERED BY: 1) LACK OF A LIF SIGNATURE DATA BASE, AND 2) COMPLEX SIGNAL PROCESSING REQUIREMENTS DUE TO COMPETING ATMOSPHERIC SIGNALS. IN THE PHASE I PROGRAM, FUNDAMENTAL LIF DATA WILL BE OBTAINED EXPERIMENTALLY, WHILE DETECTION CONFIDENCE AND HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS WILL BE DETERMINED USING SYNTHETIC LIDAR RETURNS. EMPHASIS WILL BE PLACED ON UV WAVELENGTHS ACCESSIBLE USING COMPACT, RELIABLE AND EFFICIENT ND:YAG LASERS. SCHMIDT INSTRUMENTS IS PARTICULARLY CAPABLE AT DEVELOPING EFFICIENT DIGITAL SIGNAL PROCESSING HARDWARE IN-HOUSE, AND DURING PHASE II WE WILL CONSTRUCT PROTOTYPE UVLIDAR HARDWARE FOR FIELD TESTING.