• Multimillion-dollar lidar system to detect biological-warfare agents

    The US Army Chemical and Biological Defense Command (Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD) awarded Fibertek (Herndon, VA) a $9.48 million, 36-month contract to design and deliver two lidar systems for biological-agent detection. The lidar source will be a frequency-shifted (266 nm) diode-pumped Nd:YAG laser; its output will be converted to 289 nm, where atmospheric-ozone absorption is lower. Range will be 5 km, and PMTs will monitor tryptophan (an amino acid present in all biological materials) fluoresce
    Feb. 1, 1996

    Multimillion-dollar lidar system to detect biological-warfare agents

    The US Army Chemical and Biological Defense Command (Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD) awarded Fibertek (Herndon, VA) a $9.48 million, 36-month contract to design and deliver two lidar systems for biological-agent detection. The lidar source will be a frequency-shifted (266 nm) diode-pumped Nd:YAG laser; its output will be converted to 289 nm, where atmospheric-ozone absorption is lower. Range will be 5 km, and PMTs will monitor tryptophan (an amino acid present in all biological materials) fluorescence in the 300-400-nm region. Other capabilities will include detecting and tracking biological aerosol clouds and distinguishing between these and nonbiological aerosols and hard targets.

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