Chemical Reconnaissance*
Abstract
*Formerly Hyperadsorptive Atmospheric Sampling Technology (HAST). The Chemical Reconnaissance program will enable exhaustive, accurate, and economical collection of atmospheric trace constituents to support chemical mapping of urban and military environments. The system will demonstrate materials, packaging, and extraction technologies that sample atmospheric impurities with concentrations ranging from 10 parts per trillion to 100 parts per million by volume, from 100 liter-atmospheres of gas, in less than five minutes. New systems to provide rapid, comprehensive, and quantitative trace gas analysis without preconceived lists or libraries of target chemicals will also be developed. The analysis systems will integrate sophisticated separation and spectroscopic techniques with advanced quantum chemistry algorithms to enable library-free identification and ranking (by concentration) of all components present in complex gas mixtures. This capability will revolutionize our understanding of the environment through chemical mapping and reconnaissance. Reproducible analysis of atmospheric samples using sophisticated analytical technology will yield maps of baseline conditions, natural variability, and permit detections of nefarious anomalies involving production, movement, and storage of weapons, even under shifting backgrounds driven by meteorological and seasonal events.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Accomplishment
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2012
- Source ID
- 685f2fc4c692feb17dbd5e1e1579d366