REMOTE IDENTIFICATION OF ARITICIAL MATERIALS

Electro-optical and infrared (EOIR) technologies originally developed for night-vision systems and sensor counter-countermeasure applications are applied to the remote detection, analysis, and identification of uniquely prepared materials. The benefit of this unusual merging of technologies is to significantly improve passive IFF capabilities for certain military uses, and to make this powerful remote-sensing tool affordable for a wide variety of civil applications. Materials constructed with unique spectrally-selective optical properties are proposed that allow narrow-band "color signatures" to be created such that only the properly equipped sensors can "see" them. Materials previously developed are described, and means for adapting them to the MWIR thermal spectrum for this application are proposed for phase-1. Advanced materials for operation in harsh environments are proposed for development during subsequent phases 2 and 3. Our years of accumulated experience in developing complex focal-plane assemblies (FPAs) is applied to the creation of integral detector-readout spectrometer devices that significantly reduce the cost of high-performance hyperspectral sensors making them affordable for law-enforcement, counter narcotics, counter terrorist, shipment tracking, and various industrial process uses. A breadboard remote sensing system will be demonstrated during phase-1, and a "road map" to a final modular self contained sensor is proposed for phase-2 and phase-3.