High-Power, Single-Frequency Laser Transmitter for Direct Detection Wind Sensing

NASA is actively pursuing the development of technologies that enable satellite-based laser wind sounding. Of particular interest are technologies that enable tropospheric wind profiling at low cost and high efficiency. Traditional laser-based wind sensors utilize coherent-mode detection, which depend on high aerosol concentrations to measure wind fields, and are therefore not suited for tropospheric wind profiling where the aerosol concentration is low. Direct-detection lidars do not suffer from this restriction because they can sense backscattered radiation from moving molecules as well as aerosols. A key component required for direct-detection lidars is a high-power, single-frequency, efficient, conduction-cooled UV laser transmitter. Lite Cycles proposes to develop a high-power (>30 W), efficient (>4% wall-plug), single-frequency (<50 MHz), UV (355-nm) laser transmitter that utilizes our unique conduction-cooled, diode-pumped gain module designs. The Phase I effort will produce a report containing a design trade study and conceptual design for a high-power laser transmitter, and the product of the Phase II effort will be an operational deliverable prototype laser.