Ultra-High Performance Narrowband Detectors for Decluttering Stand-Off Sensing

"There is a significant need for technology that is effective in remotely detecting, identifying, quantifying and monitoring chemical emissions at ultra-low concentration levels in real world cluttered environments, such as toxic gases and chemicals, fugitive emissions and chemical weapon agents.

This program will deliver a highly disruptive, versatile, sensitive, standoff chemical imager, using a novel ultrasensitive narrowband detector that provides several orders of magnitude improvement in detectivity over any currently available solution.

The detectors will be integrated in M-Squared Lasers (MSL) Firefly instrumentation, enabling a full system demonstration of active hyperspectral imaging that will push the state of the art in terms of unprecedented sensitivity and target discrimination. The system will provide the necessary advancement that is required for the practical implementation of remote sensing and imaging at a useful stand-off distance.

The project team includes a specialist infrared detector technology company (Amethyst Research), a science provider (Lancaster University), and an established system integrator (M-Squared Lasers); a focussed supply chain that is equipped to deliver both innovation and commercialisation."