15R10_JA_FINAL_Redacted.pdf

JUSTIFICATION FOR OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION

I. CONTRACTING ACTIVITY

Air Force Research Laboratory/RIK, 26 Electronic Parkway, Rome NY 13441-4514, proposes to enter into a contract on a basis other than full and open competition.

II. NATURE AND/OR DESCRIPTION OF THE ACTION BEING PROCESSED

AFRL/RITE requires a custom Entangled Photon Generation and Measurement System to support an in house investigation of entangled photon pair transport. This justification is for a new Firm

Fixed Price (FFP) supply purchase.

III. DESCRIPTION OF THE SUPPLIES/SERVICES REQUIRED TO MEET THE

AGENCY ’S NEEDS

The Entangled Photon Generation and Detection System shall meet the following specifications:

It will consist of one Entangled Pair Detection System (EPDS), one custom Entangled Photon

Source (EPS), and one custom Polarization Analyzer with integrated system control software for automated measurements, and external freezer.

III.1 EPDS (Detection Subsystem):

1) Single Photon polarization detector channels: 2

2) Detection Efficiency > 20%

3) After-pulse probability: 4% @ 50MHz gate rate

4) Dark count Probability: 4x10 -5 per gate.

5) Gate temporal-location resolution: 80 picoseconds (independent for each gate)

6) Gate temporal window: 250 picoseconds

7) Input clock voltage: 1V

8) Correlation delay range: 0-16,000 clock cycles, up to 320 microseconds between photon arrivals

9) Clock rate: 50 MHz

10) Spectral operating range 1300-1600 nm

11) Standard 19 inch rack mountable container

12) Fiber-coupling capable

13) Data Flow interoperable with PC/Custom Polarization Analyzer

III.2 EPS Source Subsystem:

1) Spontaneous four wave mixing source of non-degenerate frequency and polarization entangled photon pairs

2) Pulse rate: 50 Mhz

3) Computer controllable two-photon generation rate

4) Built-in polarized alignment signal allowing facile alignment with EPS Detection subsystems

5) Signal wavelength: variable in 1550 nm band, 200 GHz ITU grid

6) Idler wavelength: variable in 1550 nm band, 200 GHz ITU grid

7) Signal/idler 3 dB bandwidths: 1 nm; transform limited pulses

8) Signal/idler photon temporal coherence length: 5 picoseconds

9) Pair-emission probability: 10 -4 to > 5x10 -3

10) Two photon interference visibility@ 300K = 90.85%

11) Two photon interference visibility@ 77K = 97.93%

12) Standard 19 inch rack mountable container

13) Custom selectable pump wavelengths

14) Custom Signal/Idler wavelength division multiplexing: tunable GHz pair separation customized for specific transmission through custom Lyot filter stages

15) Custom variable colinear signal/idler output; path matching: < 100 picoseconds

16) Custom filtering of pump beams, isolated/removed from variable signal/idler pairs

17) Control software interoperable with Custom 2-channel polarization analyzer

III.3 2-Channel Custom Polarization Analyzer, Integrated System control software, and cooling system:

1) System control software with EPS Source and Detection Subsystems control software for automated measurements

2) Custom selectable linear polarization analyzer/ no polarizers

3) External freezer for EPS fiber; temperature down to -80C

IV. STATUTORY AUTHORITY PERMITTING OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN

COMPETITION

The statutory authority permitting other than full and open competition is 10 USC 2304(c)(1)

V. DEMONSTRATION THAT THE CONTRACTOR’S UNIQUE QUALIFICATIONS O R

NATURE OF THE ACQUISITION REQUIRES THE USE OF THE AUTHORITY CITED

ABOVE (APPLICABILITY OF AUTHORITY)

The specifications listed in Section III include unique tolerances and ranges to the construct of the

EPDS, EPS, Polarization Analyzer, and cooling system of NuCrypt’s Entangled Photon

Generation and Detection System which cannot be found in typical commercial components and are specific to our system requirements. The NuCrypt system involves minor modifications to i t s existing commercial components. The alternatives offered by other sources would require major modifications including re- design and extensive integration. The tunability of the

EPS is required to interoperate with an existing investment (Lyot filters purchased under contract and the existing RITE laboratory environment ( detector requires operation in extreme low temperature). Therefore, in order to accommodate other known products would require the Government to duplicate costs not expected to be recovered through competition.

VI. DESCRIPTION OF EFFORTS MADE TO ENSURE THAT OFFERS ARE

SOLICITED FROM AS MANY POTENTIAL SOURCES AS DEEMED PRACTICABLE

A Notice of Proposed Contract Action was synopsized as a Pre-solicitation Notice on the Federal

Business Opportunities website (www.FBO.gov) between 11 March 2015 and 25 March 2015.

Responses were received from and . The program manager reviewed the responses and ruled out their technical capability as follows: The system does not operate using collinear, tunable, and non-degenerate photon pairs providing two distinct frequencies required by III.2.14. As mentioned above, the detector operates with a super conductor which requires operation in extreme low temperature, for which

RITE does not have the laboratory capabilities to maintain. The freezer supplied with the NuCrypt system and stated in Requirement III.3.3, though not as efficient in eliminating noise in the detection process as that offered by , is much less expensive and sufficient in noise reduction for the Government’s purpose.

VII. DETERMINATION BY THE CONTRACTING OFFICER THAT THE

ANTICIPATED COST TO THE GOVERNMENT WILL BE FAIR AND REASONABLE

The quotation received from NuCrypt, LLC will be determined fair and reasonable in accordance with FAR 13.106-3(a)(2)(iii) Current price lists, catalogs, or advertisements and FAR 15.404-

1(b)(2)(vii) Other than certified cost or pricing data in the form of invoices and sales orders with other customers for the same parts or similar custom orders as the AFRL’s contemplated purchase.

VIII. DESCRIPTION OF THE MARKET RESEARCH CONDUCTED AND THE

RESULTS, OR A STATEMENT OF THE REASONS MARKET RESEARCH WAS NOT

CONDUCTED

Market research of the products and associated characteristics required for a contractor to provide an Entangled Photon Generation and Detection System with the necessary performance characteristics has been conducted. Independent market research and evidence in Section VI, Pre-solicitation Notice, conclude the Government’s determination that no other known manufacturers or products exist that can fulfill this requirement.

IX. ANY OTHER FACTS SUPPORTING THE USE OF OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN

COMPETITION

N/A

X. LIST OF SOURCES, IF ANY, THAT EXPRESSED INTEREST IN THE ACQUISITION

NuCrypt LLC 1840 Oak Avenue, Ste 212-S Evanston, IL (www.nucrypt.com) (847-733-6750)

XI. A STATEMENT OF THE ACTIONS, IF ANY, THE AGENCY MAY TAKE TO

REMOVE OR OVERCOME ANY BARRIERS TO COMPETITION BEFORE MAKING

SUBSEQUENT ACQUISITIONS FOR THE SUPPLIES OR SERVICES REQUIRED

AFRL/RITE will continue to research the performance and capabilities of similar products towards future requirements, to avoid omitting other qualified sources. In fact, AFRL/RI has purchased items from before, and likely will again. If the need arises to purchase detectors at superconducting temperatures, where detection efficiency is supreme, will be a highly competitive candidate for an acquisition.

XII. CONTRACTING OFFICER’S CERTIFICATION

The contracting officer’s signature below evidences that he/she has determined this document to be both accurate and complete to the best of his/her knowledge and belief.

XIII. TECHNICAL/REQUIREMENTS PERSONNEL’S CERTIFIC ATION

As evidenced by their signature above, the technical and/or requirements personnel have certified that any supporting data contained herein, which is their responsibility, is both accurate and complete.

http://www.nucrypt.com/