9353433 Todd The objective of this research is to develop a new method for determination and visualization of the concentration and flow of gases and vapors in air. The method is based on coupling the chemical detection technology of optical remote sensing with the mapping capabilities of computed tomography. Chemical concentrations determined by using a network of infrared beams projected through air at many angles are coupled with real-time measurements obtained through use of an optical remote sensing system to obtain path-integrated concentrations of chemicals over the entire path of the beam. The initial phases of this research involve modification and evaluation of tomographic reconstruction algorithms and image processing techniques for reconstructing chemical concentrations in air. Application-specific measures developed to evaluate algorithm performance and image quality will be followed by simulation studies to determine conditions for laboratory validation of the method. Results of this research are expected to be applied to identification and characterization of the motion and dispersion of air pollutants after their emission from sources. This is the initial increment of an award to provide support for this Presidential Faculty Fellow who was selected through evaluation procedures conducted by the National Science Foundation and based on criteria contained in NSF 93-114 which contains the nomination guidelines. ***
