IGF::OT::IGF IN THIS SMALL BUSINESS INNOVATIVE RESEARCH (SBIR) EFFORT, LEIDEN MEASUREMENT TECHNOLOGY (LMT) PROPOSES TO DESIGN AND BUILD THE FLUORESCENCE LIFETIME EXCITATION EMISSION SPECTROMETER (FLEXEMS), A STAND-OFF FLUORESCENCE SPECTROMETER THAT USES MULTIPLE LIGHT-EMITTING DIODES TO EXCITE FLUORESCENCE IN SAMPLES FROM THE DEEP-ULTRAVIOLET THROUGH THE VISIBLE AND EMPLOYS TIME-CORRELATED SINGLE-PHOTON COUNTING (TCSPC) AND STEADY-STATE PHOTON-COUNTING TECHNIQUES TO QUANTIFY THE FLUORESCENCE PROPERTIES OF THE TARGET IN ORDER TO DETECT AND IDENTIFY TRACE LEVELS OF ORGANICS IN-SITU. THE ADDITION OF FLUORESCENCE LIFETIME MEASUREMENTS DISTINGUISHES IT FROM OTHER COMPACT, FIELD-PORTABLE INSTRUMENTS AVAILABLE. FOR TYPICAL USE, THE INSTRUMENT WILL REQUIRE NO REAGENTS OR CONSUMABLES AND BY SIMPLY PLACING THE INSTRUMENT ON A SAMPLE OF ROCK, SOIL, OR ICE, OR OTHER MATERIAL IT WILL BE ABLE TO DETECT A WIDE RANGE OF ORGANICS (AT OR BELOW THE 10-100 PPB-LEVEL) INCLUDING FREE AROMATIC AMINO ACIDS; BIOMARKERS INCLUDING F420 (SPECIFIC TO METHANOGENS), NADH, AND PROTEINS; PAHS; AND PORPHYRINS (E.G. CHLOROPHYLL). IT WILL BE DESIGNED WITH FLIGHT IN MIND SO THAT MASS, VOLUME, AND POWER-USAGE WILL BE MINIMIZED AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.

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