SBIR-STTR Award

Volume Digital Holographic Wavefront Sensor Phase 2
Award last edited on: 7/30/2019

Sponsored Program
STTR
Awarding Agency
DOD : AF
Total Award Amount
$899,485
Award Phase
2
Solicitation Topic Code
AF18A-T006
Principal Investigator
Curtis Vogel

Company Information

Nutronics Inc (AKA: General Nutronics Inc~Naosystems)

1851 Left­hand Circle Suite G
Long­mont, CO 80501
   (303) 530-2002
   rholmes001@aol.com
   www.naosystems.com

Research Institution

Montana State University

Phase I

Contract Number: FA9451-18-P-0251
Start Date: 8/7/2018    Completed: 5/7/2019
Phase I year
2018
Phase I Amount
$149,921
Nutronics, Inc. and Montana State University propose to develop and evaluate computational methods for a Volume Digital Holographic Wavefront Sensor (VDHWFS).VDHWFS based imaging offers the potential to provide the equivalent of wide field of view adaptive optics (AO) compensated imaging, but without the added complexity of AO components and hardware.Recent result for coherent imaging developed by Pelllizari, et.al. are highly promising and suggest new key insights into the algorithmic methods have been achieved.The next step in development is to evaluate noise gain and radiometric requirements and assess options and methods for real time or at least video rate implementation of the computational methods developed by Pellizari, et. al. and/or investigation of alternate computational methods.Our Phase 1 effort will leverage our expertise in algorithm development and requirements for real time imaging and beam projection systems to identify the optimal real time implementation solution for potential follow-on implementation in a future Phase 2 effort.

Phase II

Contract Number: FA9451-19-C-0708
Start Date: 8/26/2019    Completed: 8/26/2021
Phase II year
2019
Phase II Amount
$749,564
Through the execution of our Phase 1 effort, Nutronics, Inc. and Montana State University developed an improved means to optimize the Pellizzarri cost functional for coherent imaging using digital holography. Our algorithm developed during the Phase 1 effort accelerates convergence times by a factor of 20-40 for the majority of scenarios evaluated. Our proposed Phase 2 effort has a two-fold focus: (1) video rate (objective of kHz rate) implementation of our algorithm using a single-layer phase solution; and (2) continuing algorithm development for a multi-layer Volume Digital Holographic Wavefront Sensor (VDHWFS). VDHWFS based imaging offers the potential to provide the equivalent of wide field of view adaptive optics (AO) compensated imaging, but without the added complexity of AO components and hardware.