Advanced 1.65 Micron Seed Laser for LIDAR Remote Sensing of Methane (Seed Laser)

NASA Unfunded: This project enables Earth Science Methane observations as described by the Earth Science Decadal Survey which called explicitly for cost-effective methane technology and measurements at all latitudes and NASA's Astrobiology Strategy for the Exploration of Mars which called for ...global-scale measurements of atmospheric gases, with sufficiently high precision and accuracy to allow detection and characterization of trace gases...#OGA: Agencies such as the EPA need cost-effective methane detection systems to monitor a large variety of commercial sites such as natural gas pipeline networks, fracking and gas drilling, waste water treatment plants, landfill surface emissions, coal mines and animal husbandry sites.#Industry: A low-cost, high performance miniaturized 1651nm seed laser source is a key advancement for the development of low-cost, high performance, compact LIDAR systems for methane spectroscopy, which may be deployed by commercial providers on small satellite platforms or UAV's. #Nation: Atmospheric methane concentrations on Earth have been increasing as a result of increased fossil fuel production, rice farming, livestock and landfills, and the thawing of the Arctic permafrost. Better knowledge of the methane global distribution, sources and sinks is imperative for a more accurate assessment of its impact on global climate change. The development of low-cost, accurate remote methane sensing technologies is becoming increasingly critical in order to analyze methane concentrations and distributions throughout the atmosphere. More »