Laser Light Source for Ultra-High Speed Photography of Explosive/Projectile Events

The proposed effort will establish the applicability of laser light as the illumination source in the high-speed photography of large scale ballistic and warhead field tests. Recent advances in laser systems suggest that when coupled to commercially available camera systems, their high energy allows discrimination against background radiation through spectral filtering. Furthermore, short pulses enable complex transient events to be photographed without blurring. This Phase I program will evaluate various explosive/projectile scenarios and determine parametric system requirements for an illumination source. In addition, proof of principal experiments will be performed and the equipment needed for a low risk, highly robust prototype system will be identified. This system would be designed, fabricated and delivered to the Air Force in a Phase II program and evaluated during testing at the Wright Laboratory facilities at Eglin AFB, FL.