News Archive
Oct 2009
NASA Funds development of new instrument to measure greenhouse gases
Understanding the sources and sinks of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases has been recognized as critical to predicting climate change and global warming. In this SBIR program, Southwest Sciences is developing a lightweight, inexpensive greenhouse gas sensor. A novel measurement technique will allow the sensor to provide dry air mixing ratios of CO2 without the need for concurrent measurements of temperature, pressure or moisture. The sensor will be used on UAV, balloon, and aircraft platforms. Measurements of the precise variations of carbon dioxide as a function of altitude have been tremendously difficult, and this sensor will allow more widespread measurements than currently possible. Joel Silver is the Principal Investigator.
September 2009
Southwest Sciences works with UC Berkeley to develop magnetometer for physics experiment
Southwest Sciences will lead a project to develop a magnetometer for the neutron electric dipole moment (nEDM) experiment. The nEDM experiment uses crossed magnetic and electric fields to measure a possible electric dipole associated with the neutron, testing fundamental theories of matter. To achieve high sensitivity, the experiment needs very precise and homogeneous magnetic fields. Southwest Sciences is teaming with the Budker group at Berkeley to develop an instrument based on nonlinear magneto-optical resonance. The PI is Chris Hovde.
July 2009
DOE selects Southwest Sciences to investigate greenhouse gases and non-destructive testing
The Department of Energy has chosen Southwest Sciences to conduct two research and development projects. One project will develop a rugged laser source that can be used for making high-resolution measurements of carbon dioxide. The PI is Chris Hovde. The second project uses optical diagnostics to improve the ceramic thermal barrier coatings on advanced turbine. Kris Peterson is the project leader.
April 2009
Air Force awards three SBIR Phase I projects to Southwest Sciences
The Air Force has selected Southwest Sciences for three research and development projects.
- Southwest Sciences is developing optical coherence tomography (OCT) as a method to inspect for cracks or defects in silicon nitride ceramic bearing balls used in gas turbine aircraft engines. This approach is nondestructive, doesn't require fluorescent dyes, and can even detect defects below the surface. In this feasibility study, parameters important to OCT's application to defect detection in silicon nitride ceramics will be investigated, including optimal light wavelength, depth of penetration, resolution, and imaging speed. This project is led by Kris Peterson.
- The Air Force is experimenting with pulsed detonation engines. These engines use fast fuel injection and rapid mixing of fuel and oxidizer, giving them the potential to achieve higher efficiency and lower costs than scramjets or turbines. Optimizing these engines requires high-speed (~10 kHz) measurements of combustion species concentrations and distributions. Optical, non-contacting diagnostics are prefered because they don't change the combustion process or flow field. Southwest Sciences is developing a novel optical diagnostic based on frequency modulation spectroscopy. For more information contact Alan Stanton.
- Scramjet engines are important for high-performance military applications. Optimizing the performance of a scramjet engine requires an accurate model of combustion and fluid dynamics. Southwest Sciences is assisting the Air Force in this effort by developing a specialized instrument that can detect species concentrations, temperatures and mass flow through the scramjet engine flowpath. The project, led by Shin-Juh Chen, uses our proprietary Lock-In Detector Array (LIDA) together with diode laser absorption spectroscopy, which will allow for a compact airbone instrument. Making quantitative measurements in-flight avoids the complications with interpreting wind tunnel tests. Shin-Juh Chen leads this project.
January 2009
Optics for improving combustion research
The green beam from a doubled Nd:YAG laser is used to excite Raman spectra
in a flame. To increase the signal, the laser beam is directed through a small
hole in one mirror into a nearly-concentric Herriott multipass cell. The beam
bounces over one hundred times between the mirrors, always passing within
a few millimeters of the center point. By moving the burner around this point,
the temperature of the flame can be mapped.The Air Force has selected Southwest Sciences for a Phase II STTR contract to continue development of optics to improve the signals from combustion measurements. Researchers at the Wright Laboratory use Raman spectroscopy to understand the effects electric fields have on flames. Raman spectroscopy can measure the temperatures of a flame without perturbing it. However, Raman spectroscopy is a weak effect, so signals are low. Increasing the laser power can increase the signal, but laser breakdown sets a limit on the improvement by this path. Dr. Joel Silver showed in a Phase I project that multipass optics can improve the ratio of signal to noise by at least a factor of 50. The optics create a tightly-knit pattern of laser beams at the center of a pair of mirrors. Each beam in the pattern contributes to the Raman signal. The system can also be used to enhance absorption signals in tunable diode laser spectroscopy measurements of species concentrations. The research team includes Dr. Philip Varghese of the University of Texas, who will compare temperature measurements taken with this system to more traditional Raman measurements. For more information, contact Joel Silver.
October 2008
Quantum Dot Lasers for improving LADAR systems
The Air Force has selected Southwest Sciences for a Phase II SBIR project to develop quantum dot lasers systems for military LADAR applications. This two-year project is led by Dr. Dan Kane.
The typical pulse width, gain bandwidth, and L-I (light vs current) curve
of an 8 mm long, 2 section quantum dot mode-locked laser. Military LADAR systems are used to identify tanks and other objects, even in the presence of camouflage. LADAR systems use pulses of light to make a topographic map of the target. Light pulses of short duration can provide more details which leads to more reliable identification of the target. Real world military systems also must be compact, robust, and inexpensive. Southwest Sciences has teamed with Professor Luke Lester at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, NM to build and characterize monolithic, passively mode-locked quantum dot semiconductor lasers for LADAR applications. With pulse widths of less than 5 ps, they easily meet the time resolution and bandwidths needed for the shaping requirements of next generation military systems.
Quantum dot laser development requires simultaneous development of the lasers and laser characterization tools. Prof. Lester has pioneered quantum dot laser R&D, and his laboratory is well equipped for the development portion of the project. Dr. Daniel J. Kane at Southwest Sciences has pioneered methods for ultrashort laser pulse characterization. He is the co-inventor of the most effective characterization method: frequency resolved optical gating (FROG). The Phase II effort will build on methods developed in Phase I and will continue the development of quantum dot-based passively mode-locked diode lasers in order to better facilitate the use of these lasers in arbitrary optical waveform generation for LADAR applications.
October 2008
High Precision CO2 Field Sensor
Southwest Sciences has won a grant to develop instrumentation for detecting carbon dioxide (CO2), the Department of Energy announced. The two-year grant through the SBIR program funds additional research and development of this new instrument, which will be useful in studying how CO2 is taken up by the biosphere. Such research is a vital part of the Global Climate Change Initiative (GCCI), which calls for a better scientific understanding of the sources and sinks of CO2 and of the interactions between the biosphere and atmosphere. The research is led by Dr. Joel Silver, a co-founder andVice-President of Southwest Sciences.
"While a variety of instruments exist for high precision flux measurement of CO2 and other greenhouse gases, none combine the attributes of reliability, precision and low cost," says Dr. Silver. His approach combines traditional optical spectroscopy with an automated method for calibrating the instrument. This project builds on the successful Phase I research, which demonstrated that the self-calibration procedure can achieve high precision (needed for the science goals) without external calibration gases or expensive temperature control of the instrument. The Phase II research addresses issues beyond laboratory performance, such as the ability to be deployed in widespread field operations over extended periods of time, as will be needed to study long-term variations in CO2 exchange between the biosphere and the atmosphere. For more information, contact Joel Silver.
September 2008
Residential Fire Detection
The United States ranks poorly among industrialized nations in fire safety.
Various statistics from the US Fire Administration illustrate our national
problem. Fire killed more Americans in 2006 than all natural disasters combined.
Fire-related injuries have declined over the last decade; yet fatalities remain
nearly constant. Functioning smoke detectors are present in 23% of fatal residential
structure fires. These facts imply a need for better home fire sensors. Digging
more deeply, however, reveals additional issues. Fire fatalities occur disproportionately
among young children and the elderly, and – as with fatal automobile
accidents – alcohol consumption is involved in nearly half of fatal fires.
Also, poverty and fire are statistically linked. The death rate in poorer
sections of the country is three times the national average.
Dr. Steve Massick is leading a research project funded by NIST to develop a new generation of smoke detectors to improve safety in the home. "Existing smoke detectors are not very effective, particularly for children and the elderly," he says. New fire sensing technology must be cheap, (nearly) maintenance free, and provide fast response to kitchen fires as well as fires originating in clothing, furniture, and bedding. These types of fires are problematic for conventional photoelectric and ionization smoke detectors, so fire detectors are not placed in kitchens. Southwest Sciences approach is based on a combination of low cost optical imaging sensors to provide immunity from false alarms, so that kitchen fires can be detected and alarm thresholds can be reduced to provide earlier warning of fires. Low costs per sensor will enable a network of these devices throughout the residence. This is a difficult problem, but the benefits can be measured in thousands of lives and hundreds of millions of dollars saved every year.
May 2008
Southwest Sciences wins two DOE awards
The US Department of Energy awarded Southwest Sciences two Phase I SBIR grants. The first is "Differential Absorbance Spectrometer for Carbon Dioxide Isotope Measurement." This project seeks to develop a compact, rugged, low cost optical sensor platform for measuring isotopic ratios of carbon dioxide and other important greenhouse gases. Such a sensor would help research to understand the effects of carbon dioxide on climate. The second project, "Magnetometer for the Neutron Electric Dipole Moment Experiment," will develop technology to measure magnetic fields with high sensitivity. This capability will benefit DOE’s fundamental research, but also has spin-off applications in medicine, mineral exploration, and homeland security.
April 2008
USDA award for measuring hazardous gases at animal farms
Significant emissions of environmentally important gases result from manure management systems associated with animal production. Confined livestock and poultry operations are identified as important sources of emissions that are of environmental concern on spatial scales ranging from local to regional, national, and global. Hydrogen sulfide is one such gas. Existing detection methods for measurement of H2S are slow and possibly susceptible to false results due to other sulfur compounds. The proposed approach will directly measure H2S emitted from animal production operations, particularly manure management systems. This project will demonstrate an instrument that can provide a versatile combination of high sensitivity and fast time response that will greatly enhance capabilities for measuring concentrations and emission rates of H2S associated with animal manure management systems.
January 2008
Senator Bingaman visits Southwest Sciences
Senator Bingaman visits Southwest Sciences.
Senator Jeff Bingaman toured Southwest Sciences' facilities where he learned about ongoing research into new medical imaging, trace gas detection and optical diagnostics. He discussed the importance to New Mexico's economy of small businesses like Southwest Sciences which create high-value products based on new technology, and the role the Federal government can play in advancing these opportunities.
November 2007
NASA awards four Phase I SBIR contracts to Southwest Sciences
NASA selected four proposals from Southwest Sciences for award in the highly competitive SBIR program. The projects span the range of Southwest Science's research efforts. "Optical Method for Real-Time Turbine Blade Tip Clearance Measurement" uses an innovative technology based on optical Fourier domain reflectometry for near real-time tip-clearance measurement with an accuracy of 10 micrometers or better. Benefits of this approach include increased turbine efficiency, reduced emissions, and extended service life. "Magnetometer for Calibrating Jovian Fields" investigates a method to accurately measure total magnetic fields in the range 0 to 1.6 mT in support of missions to Jupiter. "Fast Temperature Sensor for use in Atmospheric Sciences" investigates a low power approach to measure temperature that is unaffected by cloud particles or aircraft speed. The sensor will be sufficiently lightweight and compact for use on balloons, kites, and UAVs as well as more conventional research aircraft. "Mirage Fire Sensor for Spacecraft" will use highly miniaturized, low power cameras to image a simple geometric pattern projected onto a flat surface, detecting fires by the distortion of the image.
October 2007
Southwest Sciences wins R&D 100 Award
Joel Silver and Mark Paige receive the R&D 100 Award.
Southwest Sciences teamed with Southern Cross to develop the '46 Hawk, a hand-held detector for finding leaks in the natural gas pipeline network. Southwest Sciences gas detection technology eliminates hazmat problems with earlier detectors and shows excellent sensitivity and selectivity, with virtually no false alarms. This invention received the R&D100 Award, and it is now manufactured and sold by Southern Cross.
May 2007
Southwest Sciences partners with Southern Cross for gas leak detection
Southwest Sciences has joined with Southern Cross Corporation to develop instruments for natural gas leak detection. Southern Cross of Norcross, GA is the premier gas leak detection workforce service provider and manufacturer of electronic leak detection equipment in the United States. The first product developed under this partnership is the '46 Hawk handheld leak sensor. The Hawk uses diode laser spectroscopy to detect methane. A wide dynamic range was achieved so that the Hawk is capable of measuring trace concentrations of less than 1 ppm for locating leaks, all the way to 100% methane for finding the source of the leak.Contact Information
e-mail info@swsciences.com