Description: Methane is about 23 times more potent at trapping infrared radiation than carbon dioxide. The development of low-cost, accurate remote methane sensing technologies is becoming increasingly critical with the need to accurately analyze methane concentrations and distributions throughout the atmosphere. A "Laser Sounder" method is successfully used for carbon dioxide detection, and it utilizes a commercial, telecom grade tunable laser. In this program, we propose to develop a 1651 nm widely tunable laser, which will be based on wavelength scaling of our commercial, rad-hard tunable laser platform, currently available at 1300nm and 1550nm. This laser will allow the same LIDAR technique to be applied to Methane.

Benefits: Gas sensing and monitoring - aerial and space based sensors. Contact information for NASA personnel related to this program: 1) Dr. Haris Riris, Optical Physicist, Code 694, NASA GSFC, Greenbelt, MD 20771 Haris.Riris@nasa.gov, 301-614-6736 2) Dr. Michael A. Krainak, Branch Head, Laser & Electro-Optics Branch, Code 554, NASA GSFC, Greenbelt, MD 20771, Michael.A.Krainak@nasa.gov, 301-614-6797

Air quality measurement systems; spectroscopy applications; telecom sources (applications) at new wavelengths.