Automated Ultrashort Pulsed Laser (USPL) Tailoring Technology

Ultrashort pulse (USP) lasers have unique interactions with matter, interactions that include the ability to athermally ablate materials, create micron-resolution texturing of surfaces, and provide diagnostic, sensing, and imaging capabilities. Of particular interest to the Navy is the potential use of USP lasers for aircraft self-defense applications. However, the propagation of a USP signal through the atmosphere inevitably results in changes to the temporal, spectral and spatial characteristics of the pulse, which diminishes the effectiveness of the signal. In this Phase I SBIR, Raydiance proposes to develop an autonomous, self-monitoring pulse tailoring system that will pre-compensate for atmospheric effects so that the desired pulse energy and quality can be delivered on target, regardless of field conditions. Key tasks in the program will be to develop integrated devices and methods for ultrafast laser self-diagnosis, laser pulse shaping and tuning, control algorithms for autonomous monitoring and programming the nature of the laser output, and designing an architecture that enables a user to program the temporal, spatial, and spectral characteristics of the output. Potential option phase tasks include building an experimental version of the system with bench-top hardware and designing a prototype that incorporates real-time pulse characterization and user-selected optimization.