Optical Green Technology Research Unit

Outline

Our unit investigates new optical technologies for environment measurement from space, energy resources with solar energy, and medical diagnostic and treatment systems. These fields are important to maintain the social climate in which the human race can live safely. We develop remote-sensing systems to measure poisonous gases, using LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) as an atmospheric monitor to acquire atmospheric information necessary for the observation of high-energy cosmic rays, and solar-pumped lasers for advanced energy sources. We also work on the development of tunable lasers for medical sensing. Particle control and precise measurement with high-power Lyman α coherent sources is another research field of our unit.

Recent Research Topic

Remote-sensing technology using electronically tuned mid-IR lasers

Tromso sodium temperature lidar by use of an all-solid-state pulsed coherent sodium D resonance light source

The development of remote-sensing technology to detect chemical agents disseminated due to crime, terror and accident is crucial for national security. Many chemical agents have characteristic absorption spectra in the mid-IR region, so remote sensing of chemical agents could be realized using mid-IR lasers. We are now developing an electronically tuned mid-IR laser with a tuning range of 6-10 microns. The mid-IR laser can tune its wavelength rapidly and randomly, because it was developed based on electronic tuning technology, which is our original technology using an acousto-optic tunable filter as a wavelength tuning element. By introducing this technology into remote sensing, in the future we will develop a remote-sensing system capable of real-time detection and identification of chemical agents disseminated in the atmosphere.