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ULTRA LOW ABSORBANCE KINETIC PHOTOMETER

Award Information
Agency: National Science Foundation
Branch: N/A
Contract: N/A
Agency Tracking Number: 7464
Amount: $246,237.00
Phase: Phase II
Program: SBIR
Solicitation Topic Code: N/A
Solicitation Number: N/A
Timeline
Solicitation Year: N/A
Award Year: 1990
Award Start Date (Proposal Award Date): N/A
Award End Date (Contract End Date): N/A
Small Business Information
12 Depot Street
Windham, ME 04062
United States
DUNS: N/A
HUBZone Owned: No
Woman Owned: No
Socially and Economically Disadvantaged: No
Principal Investigator
 Richard H Curtis Phd
 () -
Business Contact
Phone: () -
Research Institution
N/A
Abstract

ONE KEY PROBLEM IN MAKING LOW ABSORBANCE MEASUREMENTS IS THERANDOM NOISE GENERATED IN VARIOUS SYSTEM COMPONENTS SUCH AS PHOTODETECTORS, ETC. ANOTHER CLASS OF PROBLEMS ARE ENVIRONMENTAL IN ORIGIN, SUCH AS AIRBORNE OR SAMPLE-BORNE CONTAMINATION, AND SCHLIEREN EFFECTS. THE PROPOSED INSTRUMENT, BASED ON WELL KNOWN WAVELENGTH MODULATION TECHNIQUES, BUT NOVEL IN CERTAIN CRITICAL ASPECTS, SUBSTANTIALLY REDUCES THE IMPACT OF THESE ERROR SOURCES. IT IS ESTIMATED THAT IT WILL ACCURATELY MEASURE KINETIC ABSORBANCE CHANGES AS LOW AS ONE MICROABSORBANCE UNIT PER SECOND WITHIN 100 SECONDS. THIS REPRESENTS SEVERALORDERS OF MAGNITUDE IMPROVEMENT OVER CURRENT INSTRUMENTS. DURING PHASE I THE KEY CONCEPTUAL FEATURES OF THE INSTRUMENT WILL BE TESTED, BOTH BY FURTHER MATHEMATICAL MODELING AND ALSO EXPERIMENTALLY. A BREAD-BOARD INSTRUMENT USING COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE COMPONENTS WILL BE SUBJECTED TOACCURACY, SENSITIVITY AND STABILITY TESTS.

* Information listed above is at the time of submission. *

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