Quantum well earth science testbed

Calibration testing results (noise equivalent temperature difference, spectral linearity and spectral bandwidth) and laboratory emissivity plots from samples are shown using an operational testbed unit which has similar specifications as the final airborne system. Field testing of the testbed unit was performed to acquire plots of emissivity for various known standard minerals (quartz, opal, alunite). A comparison is made using data from the ASTER spectral library. The current single band (8-9 μm) testbed utilizes the high uniformity and operability of the QWIP array and shows excellent laboratory and field spectroscopic results.