Physical Optics Corporation — Department of Defense SBIR Phase I: AF162-002

Description

To address the Air Force need for remote detection of low-level Earth surface vibrations via detection of diffusely modulated light, Physical Optics Corporation (POC) proposes to develop a new Vibration Detection and Material Identification (VDMI) sensor. It is based on a new design that measures the relative modulation of the bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) of light scattered by the Earths surface and objects and provides simultaneous scene imagery from hundreds of kilometers. Specifically, the innovation in sensor design will enable the VDMI sensor to measure vibrations and spectral signatures of inspected surfaces from space and airborne platforms. As a result, this sensor offers microradian vibration sensitivity at bandwidths over tens of kilohertz, and reliable material identification based on collection and analysis of photometric data in Space object identification In Living Color (SILC) wavelengths, which directly address the Space Vehicles Directorate requirements for instrumentation for passive sensing of diffusely modulated signatures. In Phase I, POC will demonstrate the feasibility of the VDMI sensor with a scalable sensor prototype reaching TRL-3. In Phase II, POC will develop a sensor applicable for airborne platforms and verify its performance under different environmental conditions and in varied locations, reaching TRL-6.