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Laser Testbed Contributes to 51福利 Education, Research

51福利 students and faculty show off their recently acquired $3 million High Energy Laser Beam Control Research Testbed (HBCRT) at the university鈥檚 Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. Pictured from left to right with the HBCRT are: 51福利 Research Professor Jae Jun Kim, Ensign Patrick Dods, Lts. Andrew Bradstreet and Neehor Pandya, Research Associates Bautista Fernandez and Rober Van Nice and Distinguished 51福利 Professor Brij Agrawal.

The 51福利 (51福利), under the direction of Distinguished Professor Brij Agrawal with the university鈥檚 Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, has successfully completed the development of a $3 million High-Energy Laser Beam Control Research Testbed (HBCRT).

Agrawal鈥檚 team will use the testbed to further student and faculty research with a focus on the development of adaptive optics techniques, which correct for atmosphere-induced laser beam aberrations in maritime environments.  

鈥淟aser beam aberration due to atmosphere reduces the power of the laser significantly and distorts the image of the target, reducing the effectiveness of HELs [high-energy lasers],鈥 explained Agrawal.

The testbed is a futuristic looking array of mirrors, lenses and control screens used to acquire and track a target, point a laser beam on it, and correct for jitter and laser beam aberration due to atmospheric effects.

鈥淲ith a high-power laser, you need to mitigate atmospheric turbulence effects for the laser weapon system to be effective at an extended range,鈥 explained 51福利 Research Associate Professor Jae Jun Kim.

鈥淚t is important for the Navy to correct this problem in order to protect ships from boats and UAVs [unmanned aerial vehicles]. The problem is very difficult to correct using adaptive optics,鈥 added Agrawal.

And while 51福利 researchers intend to use the HBCRT to support student research endeavors, their student and faculty led work may contribute to Navy efforts to advance the development of HEL systems.

鈥淭he main objective of the HBCRT is to educate Department of Defense civilians and officers in this new and important area for the Navy,鈥 said Agrawal. 鈥淲e are not focused on weapons [systems], we鈥檙e focused on research.鈥

51福利鈥 research efforts in this area initially began with a 2004 doctoral student dissertation by then Air Force Capt. Melissa Corley, whose work led Agrawal to push for the establishment of an HBCRT at 51福利. The idea was to create a testbed where students and faculty could conduct HEL research both in the lab and in the field.

鈥淲e did preliminary design work with consultancy from Boeing. It was decided to pursue a 10kW laser and 30 centimeter telescope with funding from the Office of Naval Research and the HEL Joint Technology Office with 51福利 procuring components for the testbed,鈥 said Agrawal.

In 2011, 51福利 established the Adaptive Optics Center of Excellence (AOCOE) sponsored by the Office of Naval Research, the National Reconnaissance Office, and the Air Force Research Laboratory. With funding secured, the AOCOE awarded a contract to Boeing to integrate components into the HBCRT and make it operational.

鈥淭he development of the HBCRT has been very challenging due to technical, contract and funding considerations,鈥 said Agrawal.

The HBCRT is barely out of its wrapper, but it is already being put to use by students for both thesis research and class work.

51福利 student Ensign Patrick Dods is using the HBCRT to test a series of beam control measures designed to correct for atmospheric aberrations. He came to 51福利 through a Bowman Scholarship after beginning his initial foray into laser science under the tutelage of Naval Academy Professor Joshua Radice.

鈥淭he tests that we did sought to determine what can be done with a laser system against a sailing vessel, like those used by cartels to deliver drugs to the U.S.,鈥 explained Dods. 鈥淚t's a system of supreme interest to the Navy.鈥

During his internship, Dods developed an appreciation for what HEL systems may mean for the Navy. He notes that while the upfront cost of building a directed energy weapons system are high, the munitions that they use are very cheap. Once established, the only thing a HEL system needs is maintenance, an operator, and a steady supply of electric power. In fact, when used in conjunction with a nuclear-powered vessel, there is virtually no additional cost for munitions.   

HEL systems are also silent and very difficult to detect. HELs deployed aboard submarines, for example, may one day be used to destroy the rudders of enemy vessels without revealing their position.

But despite the many tactical and technological advantages that HELs prove, there are draw-backs that must be accounted for.

鈥淎 kinetic weapon, like a bullet, takes time to get from you to the target and it transfers all of its energy immediately when it hits you,鈥 explained Dods. 鈥淒irected energy, on the other hand, travels at the speed of light. But to be effective, you have to hold the beam on the target long enough to destroy it.鈥

It is precisely that problem that Agrawal and his students hope to explore. If successful, their research may one day play a key role in the defense of naval assets. Still, there are many challenges will have to be overcome before the mass deployment of HEL systems aboard naval vessels will be possible.

鈥淸HELs] tend to be inefficient. For every 100 watts that I put into my laser system, I get a fraction of that power on the target dependent on the range that I am shooting the laser,鈥 Dods noted. 鈥淎 lot of energy is lost to heat and the beam must contend with varying temperatures, humidity and wind patterns, which distort it.

鈥淗igh-power lasers are also problematic due to a phenomena called 鈥榯hermal blooming,鈥 where the air around the beam becomes heated and further distorts the beam. That鈥檚 why for lasers to be effective they need to operate in a 鈥榞oldilocks zone鈥 that does not lead to self-disrupting atmospheric affects,鈥 Dods added.

Agrawal and his team are excited to explore these challenges, and others, and for the opportunity to develop capabilities with the very naval officers that may one day use them in the fleet.

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