NIO CONCENTRATORS WITH HIGH DIRECTIONAL RESOLUTIONS

PHYSICAL OPTICS CORPORATION (POC), UNDER THE SPONSORSHIP OF DOE, HAS BEGUN DEVELOPMENT OF A FIBER OPTIC COLLIMATOR/CONCENTRATOR THAT HAS THE HIGHEST DIRECTIONAL ALLOWED BY THE LAWS OF PHYSICS (THE 2ND LAW OF THERMODYNAMICS). THE NON-IMAGING OPTICAL CONCENTRATOR HAS NO MOVING PARTS, IS LIGHTWEIGHT AND RADIATION HARD, AND CAN RESOLVE THE DIRECTION OF INCIDENT PHOTONS (VISIBLE AND IR). IN PHASE I OF THIS PROGRAM, POC WILL GATHER TOGETHER A LARGE NUMBER OF THESE SENSORS ATTACHED TO OPTICAL FIBERS IN ORDER TO MAKE A PROTOTYPE MODELED AFTER THE COMPOUND EYE (OMMATIDIUM) OF AN INSECT. THIS OPTICAL SYSTEM TOGETHER WITH SIGNAL PROCESSING WILL THEN BE DESIGNED TO DETECT AND DETERMINE THE POSITION OF LIGHT SOURCES RELATIVE TO THE SENSOR. THE PHASE I PROGRAM WILL CONSIST OF POC PROVIDING A FUNCTIONAL DESCRIPTION OF AN OPTICAL SENSOR BUILT AROUND THIS BASE TECHNOLOGY THAT CAN DETECT AND DETERMINE THE POSITION AND SEPARATION OF POINT LIGHT SOURCES RELATIVE TO THE SENSOR. A PROOF-OF-CONCEPT MODEL WILL BE FABRICATED AND TESTED. A REPORT DEFINING THE REQUIREMENTS OF THIS SENSOR FOR USE ABOARD FUTURE AIR FORCE AIRCRAFT WILL CONCLUDE THIS PHASE, IN PHASE II IT IS PROJECTED THAT THE PROTOTYPE MODEL WILL BE REFINED AND THE SOLID ANGLE OF COVERAGE WILL BE EXPANDED TO 2 PI STERADIANS. IT IS ALSO EXPECTED THAT IN THIS OPTICAL CONFIGURATION REDUNDANCY WILL BE PROVIDED IN THAT ADJUNCT OPTICAL FIBER/DETECTOR UNITS WILL PROVIDE OVERLAPPING COVERAGE WHEN DETECTING AND LOCATING MULTIPLE LIGHT SOURCES.