HEL Analysis Tool with Experimentally Corroborated DPAL Rate Coefficients

Diode-Pumped Alkali Laser Systems (DPALS) have great potential for missile defense and other applications. Proper design of these systems is challenging because many interrelated processes impact their performance and critical kinetic rate coefficients are not well known. In response, our team proposes to develop a comprehensive physics-based analysis/design tool, and determine key kinetic rate coefficients experimentally. The resulting product will be a user-friendly, high-fidelity, coupled Fluid-Thermal-Mechanical-Optical software package with accurate rate constants. MDA representatives and others will use this software to design laser systems, predict performance, conduct sensitivity analyses, and assess experimental results. This achievement will help advance high energy laser (HEL) systems for a variety of applications. Our team is well-suited to succeed because we have extensive experience with laser systems, atomic and laser kinetic experiments, and customized numerical analyses. During Phase I, we will develop critical analysis tools, determine key rate constants, and perform parametric sensitivity analyses. We will then develop a user-friendly, fully coupled, software package with a comprehensive set of experimentally-determined rate constants during Phase II.