Fabrication of telescopes, even of relatively modest size requires uniquely complex technology and resources available only to large and specialized institutions. This monopoly is about to be…

This federal contract award was granted by the Shared Services Center, a civilian agency, to Beam Engineering for Advanced Measurements Co., a woman-owned small business. The $99,961 grant is for research and development of a "thin-film, nearly weightless broadband diffractive waveplate lens" that can provide advanced imaging capabilities for NASA observation and exoplanet detection missions. This innovative optical technology aims to enable the construction of very large aperture space telescopes at significantly reduced costs. The contract is not associated with a set-aside program. Beam Engineering for Advanced Measurements Co. is an experienced federal contractor, holding multiple SBIR/STTR awards from various agencies as well as a notable grant from the Department of Energy. The company also has an Indefinite Delivery Vehicle contract with DARPA focused on developing advanced optical relay technologies for wireless power transmission.

Fabrication of telescopes, even of relatively modest size requires uniquely complex technology and resources available only to large and specialized institutions. This monopoly is about to be challenged with dramatic cost reduction due to the advent of waveplate lenses and mirrors pioneered by beam CO. The objective of the proposed study is to develop concepts for applying diffractive waveplate technology to NASA observation and imaging missions including exoplanet detection. This technology employs "geometric phase" in focusing electromagnetic radiation. The system concept to be developed will comprise a thin-film, nearly weightless broadband diffractive waveplate lens that provides angular resolution and light collection capabilities needed for such missions while allowing aperture sizes to be expanded to levels prohibited by technology or cost considerations for any other currently known concept. Chromatic aberration correction techniques previously developed by US for laser communication applications may be extended to broadband imaging with submicroradian angular resolution. The proposed concept will lead to a new and promising design approach for very large aperture space telescopes making them inexpensively available for accomplishing future NASA missions.