US Patent 8135244 - Measuring shock pressure with nanocrystals

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/8135244.html

This patent from the US Department of Energy teaches an optical fiber pressure sensor using quantum dots to achieve an improved response time to measure shock waves. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method, comprising:

positioning nanocrystal quantum dots (NQDs) proximate to an energetic material, compressing said energetic material by detonation whereby a shift in band gap is produced in said NQDs; and

observing an electromagnetic product (EMP) of said shift in band gap during compression of said energetic material.