TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Air Platform, Sensors, Weapons

ACQUISITION PROGRAM: PMA-272, Advanced Tactical Aircraft IRCM

OBJECTIVE: Design and develop an innovative process using fiber based delivery of high peak power ultrashort pulsed laser (USPL) radiation to support and advance laser-based defensive systems.

DESCRIPTION: A common difficulty with many commercial and military continuous wave and pulsed laser systems is that they are extremely susceptible to misalignments that can cause degradation of the laser beam quality, average (or peak) power, and spectral content. In recent years, many of these issues have been ameliorated through the incorporation of fiber laser technology, which significantly reduces or eliminates misalignment issues. The issue of misalignment takes on even more importance for USPLs. In addition to the issues identified above, the spatial, temporal, and spectral quality of the laser pulses also depends (in a very complex way) on the design of the laser cavity and the beam delivery system. In addition, fiber delivery systems for USPL devices are currently limited by the peak power damage threshold of contemporary fiber materials. The development of a fiber based laser and beam delivery system could substantially improve the utility of laser systems for various military applications. In addition to improving the overall quality of the laser energy, a fiber based delivery system could enable the relocation of the bulky laser, power supply, and other components away from the beam delivery subsystem. Large mode area and hollow core Bragg fibers have been proposed for such applications, but to date, no commercial examples exist. Other advanced fiber technologies or techniques may also apply.

PHASE I: Develop a concept and basic design for robust fiber delivery for a high peak and average power USPL system. Utilize modeling or simple laboratory experimentation to validate the feasibility of the basic concept.

PHASE II: Complete the design developed in Phase I. Build, test, and characterize the designed subsystem. Notional delivery system specifications should meet or exceed 1+ mJ per pulse, <1 ps pulse duration, and 1 kHz repetition rate.

PHASE III: Develop and execute a plan to incorporate and/or manufacture the fiber-based USPL delivery subsystem developed in Phase II, and assist in the engineering integration and testing into existing or future systems.

PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIAL POTENTIAL/DUAL-USE APPLICATIONS: Potential commercial applications include law enforcement, maritime and aviation systems, medical uses and homeland defense.

REFERENCES:
1. Diels, J. C. & Rudolph, W. (1996). Ultrashort Laser Pulse Phenomena. Academic Press

2. Koechner, W. (1999). Solid-State Laser Engineering. 5th Ed, Springer Press

KEYWORDS: Lasers; Ultrashort Pulsed Lasers; Laser Generation; Radio Frequency Generation; Pulse; Fiber Delivery Systems

** TOPIC AUTHOR (TPOC) **

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