A joint NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC)/Union Carbide program is credited with developing a very high quality laser material that has revolutionized the ability to monitor atmospheric particles. Titanium: Sapphire has been developed as an optically efficient laser material (high percentage of the energy applied to the laser crystal becomes laser light) which can be tuned to a wide range of wavelengths. Langley Research Center has developed a Titanium: Sapphire laser system for use on the LASE ( Lidar Atmospheric Sensing Experiment) instrument for the purpose of measuring water vapor and aerosols and their effect on atmospheric processes. The measurement of water vapor has been used in many areas of atmospheric and weather studies including the study of the effects of water vapor on radiation budgets, climate change, the hydrological cycle, and meteorological processes. Aerosol measurements are used in studies of cloud patterns and cloud tracking, probability of rain predictions, climate changes, and global warming. The tunability of the Titanium: Sapphire laser system provides the capability of measuring aerosols and a wide range of water vapor absorption lines in a single mission. In addition, higher laser efficiency means less electrical power is needed so that future satellite measurements can be performed by smaller, more affordable spacecraft.
On September 16, 1994 the LASE instrument was flown on an ER-2 aircraft from Wallops Island, Va. and successfully measured Tropospheric water vapor and aerosol profiles. Utilization of the new Titanium: Sapphire laser technology enabled these measurements to be made for the first time in a completely autonomous manner, i.e. without any human intervention.
Titanium: Sapphire was developed by Peter Moulton of MIT Lincoln Labs in 1982. At that time, it was a low quality laser crystal with poor performance at the wavelength required for laser operation. NASA Langley, teamed with Union Carbide, was successful in improving the performance of the material for laser applications tenfold.
Prior to the Titanium: Sapphire advancements, technology options for remote sensing consisted of dye lasers and Alexandrite lasers. Dye lasers were cumbersome and difficult to operate. The dyes were messy and had to be replaced after relatively short operation intervals. The need to change dyes would eliminate dye lasers from consideration for space applications as well as long duration airborne missions. Alexandrite lasers suffer from frequent optical damage to the laser mirrors and other optical components. Therefore, Titanium: Sapphire represents a revolutionary breakthrough in laser technology, which enables space-based remote sensing of atmospheric constituents critical to understanding our environment.
A transfer of the NASA/Union Carbide technology to the electro-optics industry has enabled a multi-product line of Titanium: Sapphire lasers for remote sensing, medicine, and research and development applications. The market for these high-tech products produced a revenue of 25 million dollars for the companies involved for the years 1991 -1992.
Point of Contact:
James Barnes
(804) 864-1637
NASA Langley Research Center
M.S. 474
5 North Dryden St.
Hampton, VA 23681-0001