THE RAMAN MICROSCOPE ELECTROMAGNETIC SIGNATURES OF EXPLOSIVES LABORATORY

THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY. The RFI supports the Department's efforts to identify sources capable of providing a Raman Microscope. This RFI is for planning purposes ONLY and shall not be construed as an obligation on the part of the Government. This is NOT a Request for Quotation or Proposals. No solicitation documents exists, and the Government may or may not issue a formal solicitation as a result of the responses received to this RFI. The Government wil not pay for any response or demonstration expenses. All costs incurred responding to this FRI will be solely at the interested party's expense. Failure to respond to this RFI will not preclude participation in any future solicitation if there is one. Any informtion recieved will become the property of the Government and will not be returne to the submitter. Interested parties are responsible for adequately marking proprietary or sensitive information. Government technical experts drawn from staff within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and other federal agencies may appropriate non-disclosure agreements to protect the proprietary information. I. INTRODUCTION The purpose of this RFI is for the identification of qualified and interested sources with the capability to provide the products and services identified in the draft Statement of Work (SOW). Responses to this RFI will be used to assist the Government in determining capabilities of small business. All interested sources with relevan capabilities are encouraged to respond. II. OBJECTIVE The Electromagnetic Signatures of Explosives Laboratory (EMXLAB) at the TSL provides the capability to examine the interaction of materials with electro-magnetic radiation. This understanding of the interaction of electromagnetic energy with explosives is critically important to the success of emerging technologies being developed in support of passenger screening operations. The range of interest includes Direct Current (DC) to ultraviolet with emphasis on microwaves in the gigahertz region, terahertz radiation, infrared, and visible radiation. The EMXLAB is equipped with an array of systems that provide a broad coverage of the electromagnetic frequency range, for analysis, modeling, and development. An important resource for performing this work at the TSL is the Raman microscopy, an instrument used by the EMXLAB that provides spectroscopic information on materials of interest. Samples are examined with the microscope to obtain particle size analysis (where applicable), then a laser interrogates the sample. The laser radiation is inelastically scattered at frequencies that are characteristic of the functional groups and chemical bonding of the material under test; this scattered radiation is the material's Raman spectrum. Raman spectra are compared with those in spectroscopic libraries to confirm the successful synthesis of molecules of interest. The EMXLAB requires a new Raman microscope to replace a defunct system and improve on existing capability of a working Raman microscope. (See attached Draft Statement of Work (SOW). This instrument must be readily available to perform analytical analysis to provide quality control and meet applied research goals. The system will be used with explosives which could lead to initiation of threat materials under test causing damage to the system; additionally, the system may be used inside a chemical fume hood. Therefore, it is required that the microscope body be separated from the lasers and spectrometers, which must be fiber coupled with the microscope body. This is to eliminate the possibility of damage and/or chemical contamination of those parts. The lasers, spectrometers, and associated electronics and miscellaneous components will be placed away from the nominal hazard zone of threat materials and/or outside the chemical fume hood. Additional cables can be used to transmit electrical/data signals and power between the microscope in the fume hood and other components outside the fume hood. Essentially the supporting contractor will provide DHS with the broad technical, acquisition, and business support services needed to assist with the cross-organizational mission of protecting the homeland, deterring crime detecting, and countering terrorism, and myriad other responsibilities. III. SCOPE Based on the information provided above, TSL requires the acquisition of a purchase of 1, 1064 nm-based to ensure the operability of the WITec Raman microscopy (Please see attached Draft Statement of Work (SOW). The scope of this effort includes preventative and corrective maintenance per the agreement terms and conditions at the TSL. The applicable equipment is as follows: 1 Microscope Base 1064 nm-based Serial Number XMB3000-4001.