DE Optical Turbulence Collection Sensor

The USAF is developing high energy laser weapon systems for defense of critical assets.Weather conditions in general have familiar effects on optical propagation.Even with clear weather conditions, the distribution of optical turbulence has a primary influence on laser system performance.Modern weather data cubes provide accessible databases for archival storage.We propose to analyze innovative techniques for acquiring optical turbulence data in three dimensions.We suggest methods which employ a pulsed laser to create bright beacon spots at altitude to be viewed from the ground.Since the beacon can be steered in angle, as well as range-gated, the beacon enables efficient collection of range- and angle-resolved turbulence data.The benefit to the USAF is a portable, multi-sensor system for real-time collection of 3-D turbulence data, including uploading to a site data cube. The proposed turbulence collection system will be specified in Phase-1. A prototype system will be built and demonstrated in phase-2, including real-time links to a USAF-supplied data cube.In phase-3 the system will be modularized to provide a portable, remotely operated system with data link.The system will be designed for efficient duplication so multiple units can be provided for assisting self-defense of critical USAF bases.