ATMOSPERIC SO2 MEASUREMENTS FROM AIRCRAFT USING OPTOACOUSTIC SPECTROSCOPY

OVER THE PAST DECADE, THERE HSA BEEN A SURGE OF IN- TEREST WITHIN THE PHYSICS COMMUNITY CONCERNING OP- TOACOUSTIC LASER SPECTROSCOPY FOR MEASUREMENTS IN GASES, LIQUIDS, AND SOLIDS. OPTOACOUSTIC LASER SPEC- TROSCOPY HAS BEEN SHOWN TO BE THE MOST SENSITIVE METHOD FOR MEASURING ATMOSPHERIC TRACE=GAS CONCEN- TRATIONS, AND IS INHERENTLY A FAST-RESPONSE OPTICAL METHOD SUITED FOR RAPIDLY MOVING PLATFORMS. IT IS THEREFORE A NATURAL CHOICE FOR THE NEXT GENERATION OF AIRCRAFT INSTRUMENTATION DESIGNED TO MEASURE AT- MOSPHERIC TRACE GASES. PHASE I WILL ATTEMPT EXPERI- MENTAL DEMONSTRATION OF EXTENDING OPTOACOUSTIC MEASUREMENT TECHNIQUES TO THE ACOUSTICALLY NOISY AIRCRAFT ENVIRONMENT. FURTHERMORE, A NUMERICAL MODEL OF AN OPOACOUSTIC INSTRUMENT FOR SO2 MEAS- UREMENTS TO PREDICT ACOUSTIC SIGNAL LEVELS AND SO2 CONCENTRATION SENSITIVITIES WILL BE DEVELOPED. IN PHASE II A FAST RESPONSE SO2 SENSOR WILL BE DESIGNED, FABRICATED, AND TESTED IN THE LABORATORY AND ON A RESEARCH AIRCRAFT. THIS RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT EF- FORT IS BASED ON EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE IN STATE-OF-THE-ART AIRCRAFT INSTRUMENTATION, INFRARED OPTICAL IN- STRUMENTATION, COUSTICS. ATMOSPHERIC RADIATION AND OPTICS, REMOTE SENSING, AND CLOUD PHYSICS.