Award Data

Refrigeration and air conditioning in buildings, industry, and transportation account for approximately 10 quads of U.S. primary energy consumption. In addition, current mass marketed air conditioning and refrigeration cycles utilize environmentally harmful refrigerants that are strong green house gases. This subtopic seeks innovative approaches to achieve high efficiencies and net-zero direct GHG ...

Topic 20c of DOEs SBIR solicitation seeks grant applications to develop technologies for the assessment and mitigation of materials degradation in Light Water Reactors in order to extend the service life including methods that can mitigate or predict irradiation and aging effects An important degradation phenomenon that limits the service life and energy production of Light Water Reactor (LWR) ...

We are improving critical technologies needed for the development of laser-driven, tabletop ultrafast x-ray sources suitable for ultrafast characterization of transient structures of energized molecules undergoing dissociation, isomerization, or intramolecular energy redistribution. In this SBIR project, Mesa Photonics will develop an X-ray ultrafast laser pulse measurement instrument for complete ...

X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) is a powerful tool used to study the local molecular and electronic structure of specific elements in a broad range of samples ranging from chemicals and biological samples or tissues to soils and rocks. To achieve the utmost sensitivity, X-ray detectors are required that can separate the fluorescence signal of interest from the high X-ray background originating ...

Measurement of atmospheric carbon dioxide on balloonsondes is a challenge to optical detection methods. High sensitivity, precision, and selectivity are required in a rugged, compact, lightweight package. Altitude-resolved atmospheric carbon dioxide detection on balloons is a critical component of the Department of Energy & apos;s greenhouse gas measurement strategy. Overall objective of the proje ...

Understanding global warming requires continuous field measurements of carbon dioxide concentrations. High-precision measurements of a part-in-3000, or better, are required. However, these high-performance instruments must meet stringent cost objectives. A simple, rugged, infrared spectrometer can provide the required measurement precision at the solicited volume price point. Vista Photonics propo ...

Aerosol research remains a priority area and requires strong efforts to resolve the very complex processes that occur in the atmosphere. To understand aerosol formation and their implications on climate the study of precursors provides very valuable information. Ammonia is one of the most important precursor molecules and plays a major role in the chemistry of the atmosphere. High-performance sens ...

Measurement and efficient control of power consumption of High Performance Computing (HPC) and HVAC subsystems within facilities are less than adequate for meeting newly developing and improving efficiency standards. Energy management systems, including sensors, signal processing, feedback and control are needed to increase efficiency, operational cost and intelligence of facilities. Additionall ...

Optical refrigeration is currently the only all-solid-state cryocooling technology that has been demonstrated. Optical cryocoolers are devices that use laser light to cool small crystal or glass cooling elements. The cooling element absorbs the laser light and reradiates it at higher energy, an example of anti-Stokes luminescence. The difference between the energy of the outgoing and incoming ligh ...

Mesa Photonics has proposes development of a remote sensor to be used to detect clandestine nuclear material processing. We have identified a volatile chemical that is indicative of key steps in uranium isotope enrichment, and can be detected readily at low concentrations using optical methods. Small plumes that are about 1 m across and containing about 5 parts per million (ppm) of the marker can ...