Description: In this SBIR project Boston Applied Technologies, Inc. (BATi) proposes a unique optical imager for remote gas sensing. Tunable filters based on electro-optic effect have shown great potential in detecting gas concentration through obtaining its absorption spectrum. The core of the proposed imager is a high speed electro-optic tunable filter based on patented OptoCeramic® material developed by BATi. This compact passive imager covers a large portion of mid-wave infrared. An innovative technical approach is proposed to achieve narrow bandwidth at the same time. The successful combination of wide tuning range and sharp passing bands makes the image have excellent ability of detecting critical gas species such as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, methane and water vapor simultaneously at high precision. The imager also features high speed, big aperture, large angle of view, robust, light weight, and low cost.

Benefits: The goal of this SBIR project is to provide NASA a mobile/airborne imaging system for remote high accuracy detection of gas emission source. The core of the imager is a high speed tunable filter with both wide tuning range and narrow bandwidth in MWIR. First of all it is a great candidate for general airborne multispectral/hyperspectral imaging. Besides remote gas sensing, due to its outstanding ability of acquiring spectral information, it will find many NASA applications in fields of engineering, natural resource exploration, environmental monitoring etc. For example, it can be applied to combustion research for jet engine diagnosis. By capturing emission spectrum and using multi-wavelength algorithm the 2D measurement of flame temperature is realized at once. The technical approach used for gas detection in this project can also be applied to measurement of species concentration in flame.

Multispectral/hyperspectral imaging technologies have found broad applications in homeland security, military surveillance, biomedical science, agriculture, chemical industry, forestry, emergency response/disaster management, insurance, and oil/gas exploration. The proposed core technology, a novel hyperspectral imaging approach, holds great potential in all these non-NASA applications where x-y-λ cube data is required. Commercialization in any of these areas can be highly profitable.