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Real-Time Carbon Isotope Ratiometer--Los Gatos Research, 67 East Evelyn Avenue, Suite 3, Mountain View, CA  94041-1518; 650-965-7772

Dr. Anthony O'Keefe, Principal Investigator

Ms. Noel O'Keefe, Business Official

DOE Grant No. DE-FG03-00ER83036

Amount:  $100,000

 

In order to make intelligent decisions regarding the control of carbon greenhouse gas releases, the DOE must first develop accurate models that characterize the processes that transform carbon between different basins such as atmosphere, ocean, plant, and soil.  Changes in the ¹³C/¹²C isotope ratio can be used as a means of identifying CO₂ exchange between the atmosphere and biosphere.  We are developing a terrestrial isotope measurement system that will continuously monitor the ratio of carbon 12 to carbon 13.  Los Gatos Research seeks to develop a sensitive, portable, real-time carbon isotope ratiometer based upon a new optical absorption measurement scheme employing newly available laser light sources and near room temperature detectors to make measurements with several thousand time the sensitivity of current methods.  The proposed research involves combining these approaches to produce an integrated sensor package.  The Phase I research will demonstrate the feasibility of the technology by performing measurements on test samples with a bench scale laboratory instrument.  The results of these tests will be used to quantify performance and determine specifications for the portable Phase II instrument.

 

Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee:  Commercial arenas for the technology include pollution monitoring, process monitoring, and general chemical analysis.  There is also a significant commercial market for medical instrumentation based on the proposed technology.