Patent ID: 8514392

Claim:
An active spectrophotopolarimeter sensor and support system for distant chemical and biological aerosol and surface contamination standoff detection, comprising: a grating-tunable, continuous-wave, linearly polarized, CO 2 laser system producing beam outputs comprising an isotopic admixture of CO 2 gas in a gain medium of a laser providing a tunable bandwidth of a spectrophotopolarimeter sensor and double spectral selectivity; an optomechanical switch that produces an alternate square-wave train of incident beam pulses as output, measures power of the beam outputs when directed to an internal detector, and determines a wavelength of beams when directed to a pair of optical spectrum analyzers; a coupled transmitter linear polarizer and photoelastic modulator optic pair (POL-PEM) with 45° alignment of axes, mated to a precision rotary stage with computer-driven stepper motor control, and operating on irradiance from the incident beam pulses; telescope spider and mirror mounts that direct said alternate square-wave train of incident beam pulses onto an aerosol aggregate; a collimator and telescopic receiver operatively connected to said telescope spider and mirror mounts; a coupled receiver photoelastic modulator and linear polarizer optic pair (PEM-POL) with 45° alignment of axes, mated to a precision rotary stage with computer-driven stepper motor control, and operating on backscattering beam outputs; a variable neutral density filter disk with belt-driven servo feedback control for regulation of backscattered radiances; and a parabolic mirror focusing collimated radiance of beam outputs onto a cooled HgCdTe photoconductive chip detector.