Low Jitter, Burst Mode Arbitrary Waveform Generation for LADAR Scene Projection

"The effectiveness of LADAR scene projection in the development and testing of LADAR sensors in a hardware-in-the-loop environment is dependent on its ability to simulate LADAR return signals. Ideally, each pixel in the projection would be represented byan arbitrary (in time and intensity) optical waveform. However, the current capability for generating arbitrary optical waveforms can only produce pixels represented by a small group of superimposed square pulses. In this effort, a new scheme forgenerating more complex arbitrary optical waveforms will be built and tested. Consequently, a smaller, lower power, and cheaper programmable digital delay generator, which is a key component of a LADAR scene projector, will also be developed. Finally,the resulting electronics will serve as the basis for a LADAR scene projector design to be produced and subsequently, built in the Phase II. The development of this technology will enhance the capabilities of LADAR scene projection for Hardware-in-the-Loopapplications along with reducing the size, power consumption, and cost of a LADAR scene projector. The technology could also serve as the basis for a test instrument like a pulse/delay/arbitrary waveform generator."