Handix Scientific — Vendor Profile¶
Created: 2026-04-08 (session 97)
Summary¶
Handix Scientific, LLC (Boulder, CO area) is a small atmospheric measurement instrument company with 8 SBIR projects in TechPort, all under Richard H. Moore's LaRC airborne measurement program. Three technology tracks reached TRL 7 (60% track success rate). Handix specializes in two measurement domains: ice nucleation physics (CFDC + CINCH²) and holographic cloud particle imaging (HoloMIE). Their instruments are novel architectures, not incremental improvements.
All 8 projects completed. All under Richard H. Moore PM, LaRC (see larc-airborne-measurement-program.md).
Technology Tracks¶
Track 1: CFDC-IAS — Airborne Ice Nucleating Particle Counter¶
Continuous Flow Diffusion Chamber — Ice nucleus And Aerosol Sensor
| Project | Phase | TRL | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| 94488 | I | 3→4 | 2018–2019 |
| 112877 | II | 4→7 | 2019–2022 |
What it measures: Ice nucleating particles (INP) in the atmosphere. INPs are rare aerosol particles (mineral dust, biological particles, soot) that trigger ice formation in supercooled clouds. Abundance and type of INPs controls precipitation and cloud radiative properties — a major uncertainty in climate models.
How it works: Continuous flow diffusion chamber — sampled air flows between two temperature-controlled walls set to create a controlled supersaturation environment. INPs nucleate ice at the characteristic supersaturation; optical detector counts ice crystals.
TRL 7 confirmed: Photo shows completed CFDC-IAS instrument installed in aircraft interior, rack-mounted, with NASA + Handix logos.
Taxonomy issue: Both phases coded TX08.1.4 (Microwave, Millimeter Waves) — incorrect. This is an aerosol/atmospheric instrument, not a microwave sensor.
Track 2: CINCHH / CINCH² — Contrail Ice Nucleation Simulator¶
Counter for Ice Nucleated in Contrails Homogeneously and Heterogeneously
| Project | Phase | TRL | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| 112894 | I (CINCHH) | 2→4 | 2020–2021 |
| 113041 | II (CINCH²) | 3→7 | 2021–2024 |
What it measures: Whether aviation engine emissions would form contrails under jet-exhaust thermodynamic conditions. Unlike CFDC which samples ambient atmosphere, CINCH² simulates the contrail formation process.
How it works: Three-section flow chamber replicating the 0–100 second contrail formation timeline: 1. Conditioning section — simulates plume mixing and cooling (0–0.1 s, exhaust particles ~10 nm) 2. Nucleation section — simulates droplet activation (0.1–1 s, particles activate to ~100 nm) 3. Growth/booster section — simulates ice crystal growth (1–10 s, ice crystals ~1000 nm) → Ice crystal detector counts output
Key distinction: CINCH² is a ground-truth instrument for ICAO emissions compliance testing — it determines whether a new fuel or engine design changes contrail formation propensity. This is fundamentally different from ambient INP counting.
Taxonomy issue: Both phases coded TX01.3.8 (All-Electric Propulsion) — severely incorrect. This is an atmospheric/aviation emissions instrument. Confirmed Issue 35 category artifact from 2020–2024 era coding.
Track 3: HoloMIE — Holographic Cloud Microphysics Imager + Extinctionmeter¶
Holographic Microphysics Imaging Extinctiometer
| Project | Phase | TRL | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| 113540 | I | 2→4 | 2021 |
| 125794 | II | 3→7 | 2022–2024 |
What it measures: Cloud particle size, shape, and optical properties — simultaneously, in a single instrument. Targets particles smaller than 100 µm where existing instruments fail, especially in mixed-phase and glaciated cloud conditions.
Optical architecture: Dual-wavelength (532 nm green + 650 nm red) fiber-coupled system with: - Open-path 10 cm sensing region - Holographic relay (25–38 mm optics) → CMOS sensor for 3D holographic imaging - Trigger relay (12.5 mm optics) → photodiode for particle detection + extinction - Polarizing beam splitter prisms → polarimetric capability - Sapphire windows (flight-hardened) - Anti-shatter tips - Designed to fit PMS canister footprint — drop-in replacement for standard cloud probes
What's novel: Simultaneously captures particle 3D shape (holography), extinction spectrum (two wavelengths), and polarization state — in one instrument at the PMS standard form factor. Current generation cloud probes only do one of these.
Taxonomy: TX08.1.1 (Detectors and Focal Planes) — reasonable for a CMOS-based imaging instrument, though "Earth Science instruments" would be more accurate.
Track 4: CPIPS — Common-Path Interferometric Particle Sizer¶
Terminated at Phase I
| Project | Phase | TRL | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| 125792 | I | 2→4 | 2022–2023 |
What it measures: Small ice crystal and aerosol characterization for contrail formation studies. Contrails represent "the single largest impact of aviation emissions on the environment, responsible for over half the estimated radiative forcing" (project description).
Outcome: Closed_Out with no Advanced_To link. No Phase II. This track terminated — possibly the measurement gap was adequately addressed by CINCH² and HoloMIE, or the approach didn't differentiate sufficiently.
Track 5: Balloon CRD Spectrometer — Extinction Profile from Ground to Stratosphere¶
Terminated at Phase I
| Project | Phase | TRL | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| 112833 | I | 3→4 | 2019–2020 |
What it measures: In situ aerosol extinction profiles from ground to mid-stratosphere via cavity ringdown spectroscopy (CRD). Motivated by validation needs for NASA's SAGE III-ISS stratospheric aerosol sensor.
Outcome: Closed_Out with no Advanced_To link. No Phase II. The measurement need was real (SAGE III validation), but this approach didn't advance. Possibly competed with ground-based solutions or didn't show sufficient differentiation in Phase I.
Portfolio Analysis¶
TRL Success Profile¶
| Track | Instrument | Final TRL | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| CFDC-IAS | Ice nucleating particles | 7 | Flight deployed |
| CINCH² | Contrail ice nucleation | 7 | Complete |
| HoloMIE | Cloud microphysics + extinction | 7 | Complete |
| CPIPS | Interferometric particle sizing | 4 | Terminated |
| Balloon CRD | Stratospheric aerosol extinction | 4 | Terminated |
3 of 5 tracks reached TRL 7 (60% track success rate). Higher than SBIR average (~20–30% Phase II TRL 7+). The two terminated tracks both lacked Phase II funding — they closed at TRL 4.
Phase Structure¶
All tracks follow the same structure: - Phase I: 6 months, TRL 2–4 → proof of concept, Closed_Out + Advanced_To - Phase II: 2–3 years, TRL 4–7 → full instrument development + flight demonstration
The 2× Advanced_From/To links on Phase II projects (e.g., [112877] shows Advanced_From twice from [94488]) appear to be TechPort data artifacts — possibly one link per contact or PI.
Taxonomy Quality¶
4 of 8 projects (50%) are miscoded: - CFDC (both phases): TX08.1.4 "Microwave" — wrong - CINCHH/CINCH² (both phases): TX01.3.8 "All-Electric Propulsion" — severely wrong (Issue 35) - HoloMIE Phase I: TX08.1.3 "Optical Components" — borderline - CPIPS + Balloon CRD: TX08.1.5 "Lasers" — borderline - HoloMIE Phase II: TX08.1.1 "Detectors" — reasonable
Comparison to Aerodyne Research¶
| Aerodyne | Handix | |
|---|---|---|
| Projects (TechPort) | 35 | 8 |
| TRL 7+ completions | 8 | 3 |
| Technology tracks | 8 (broader) | 5 (focused) |
| Program manager | Richard Moore, LaRC | Richard Moore, LaRC |
| Specialty | Absorption/extinction instruments | Ice nucleation + holographic imaging |
| Relationship age | 2006–present | 2018–present |
Aerodyne is the anchor vendor for the program; Handix is the specialist in ice physics measurements. They serve different measurement niches within the same program.
Open Threads¶
- CFDC-IAS deployment campaigns — At TRL 7, this instrument has presumably been deployed in actual flight campaigns (e.g., ACTIVATE, CAMP²Ex, FIREX-AQ). No campaign information in TechPort. Which Moore-program flights has it flown on?
- CINCH² Phase II closeout details — [113041] shows Completed, TRL 7, but no Closed_Out outcome entry — only Advanced_From. Is the closeout documentation pending?
- HoloMIE Phase II same issue — [125794] also shows Completed, TRL 7, no Closed_Out outcome. Pattern: Moore Phase II completions (2024) don't have Closed_Out entries yet.
- CPIPS termination — Why did CPIPS not advance? Was the contrail measurement niche already covered by CINCH² + HoloMIE?
- Balloon CRD successor — SAGE III-ISS is still operating. Is there a follow-on balloon validation campaign using a different instrument?
- Are there Handix instruments not in TechPort? — Company may have developed instruments for other programs (DOE, NOAA, NSF-funded campaigns) outside NASA SBIR.
Cross-References¶
- larc-airborne-measurement-program.md — full Moore program context, 26 projects, 5 vendors
- aerodyne.md — peer vendor profile, 35 projects, same program
- sbir-sttr.md — program context