SBIR Phase I: A Compact, Single Particle Black Carbon Spectrometer For Small, Airborne Platforms

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) research project will develop a lightweight, low power, fast response, high sensitivity instrument for measuring the mass concentration of black carbon aerosols (BCA) in ground based and airborne applications. The compact, single particle soot photometer (CSP2) will employ laser induced incandescence, coupled with light scattering to derive the mass of black carbon (BC) in atmospheric aerosols, the diameter of particles, mixed or unmixed with BC and estimate the relative mass fraction of BC. The Phase I objective is a laboratory prototype that demonstrates the sensitivity, stability, and accuracy of the new instrument design. This instrumentation has application to ambient measurements of aerosol black carbon for climate and health research as well as source sampling for emission studies of black carbon.