AN IODINE STANDARD LAMP

AN INNOVATIVE LAMP SOURCE THAT COULD BE AN ONORBITAL STANDARD FOR BOTH WAVELENGTH AND SPECTRAL RESPONSIVITY CALIBRATIONS OF OPTICAL SENSORS WILL BE BUILT. THE LAMP WILL USE WELL-CHARACTERIZED FLUORESCENCE FROM A MOLECULAR SPECIES (I2). A UNIQUE FEATURE OF OUR APPROACH IS THAT THE I2 LAMP WILL BE EXCITED BY A STABLE LIGHT SOURCE THAT POPULATES ONLY A SINGLE QUANTUM LEVEL IN I2. BECAUSE THE EMISSION CHARACTERISTICS OF I2 ARE SO WELL KNOW, THIS EXTREMELY SELECTIVE EXCITATION RESULTS IN EMISSION LINES OF FIXED FREQUENCY AND INTENSITY OVER THE ENTIRE WAVELENGTH RANGE OF 530 TO 1340 NM. AN ANALOGOUS APPROACH USING AN ALTERNATIVE LAMP GAS COULD EXTEND THIS RANGE INTO THE ULTRA VIOLET (225 TO 450 NM). THE PRIMARY OBJECTIVE OF THE PHASE I PROGRAM WOULD BE A LABORATORY DEMONSTRATION OF AN OPTICALLY PUMPED I2 LAMP AS A CALIBRATION SOURCE FOR WAVELENGTH AND RADIOMETRIC RESPONSE. PHASE I RESULTS WOULD BE USED TO DESIGN A PROTOTYPE, MINIATURE LAMP THAT WOULD BE CONSTRUCTED AND TESTED IN PHASE II. THIS MINIATURE STANDARDWOULD BE VALUABLE FOR ANY FUTURE MISSIONS THAT USE SENSORS IN THE OPTICAL REGION. AN INNOVATIVE LAMP SOURCE THAT COULD BE AN ONORBITAL STANDARD FOR BOTH WAVELENGTH AND SPECTRAL RESPONSIVITY CALIBRATIONS OF OPTICAL SENSORS WILL BE BUILT. THE LAMP WILL USE WELL-CHARACTERIZED FLUORESCENCE FROM A MOLECULAR SPECIES (I2). A UNIQUE FEATURE OF OUR APPROACH IS THAT THE I2 LAMP WILL BE EXCITED BY A STABLE LIGHT SOURCE THAT POPULATES ONLY A SINGLE QUANTUM LEVEL IN I2. BECAUSE THE EMISSION CHARACTERISTICS OF I2 ARE SO WELL KNOW, THIS EXTREMELY SELECTIVE EXCITATION RESULTS IN EMISSION LINES OF FIXED FREQUENCY AND INTENSITY OVER THE ENTIRE WAVELENGTH RANGE OF 530 TO 1340 NM. AN ANALOGOUS APPROACH USING AN ALTERNATIVE LAMP GAS COULD EXTEND THIS RANGE INTO THE ULTRA VIOLET (225 TO 450 NM). THE PRIMARY OBJECTIVE OF THE PHASE I PROGRAM WOULD BE A LABORATORY DEMONSTRATION OF AN OPTICALLY PUMPED I2 LAMP AS A CALIBRATION SOURCE FOR WAVELENGTH AND RADIOMETRIC RESPONSE. PHASE I RESULTS WOULD BE USED TO DESIGN A PROTOTYPE, MINIATURE LAMP THAT WOULD BE CONSTRUCTED AND TESTED IN PHASE II. THIS MINIATURE STANDARDWOULD BE VALUABLE FOR ANY FUTURE MISSIONS THAT USE SENSORS IN THE OPTICAL REGION.