Interferometric Laser Warning Receiver with Dual-Use Environmental Sensing Application

Laser detection and warning systems suitable for integration into existing aircraft platforms must be low power devices that are small, rugged, and capable of operation under severe environmental conditions. To be useful to pilots these systems must produce a reliable real-time indication of laser illumination with a very low false alarm rate. An effective system must also provide laser detection in a large field of view and be sensitive to wavelengths over a broad spectral range. This project will develop a single aperture laser warning receiver based on an adaptation of a Fourier Transform Spectrometer that satisfies all of these requirements. The warning receiver will utilize a stable and rugged interferometer and a unique solid-state light sensor that can provide laser detection and spectral processing on a single integrated circuit with very low power. The proposed configuration provides high optical efficiency and discriminates non-laser phenomenon based on temporal, coherence and wavelength characteristics of the incident light. Design adaptations to transition the "spectrometer on a chip" technology for environmental sensing dual-use will also be studies. The result of this project will be a compact cost effective laser warning receiver that is suitable for deployment on aircraft platforms.