MULTIBEAM LUNEBERG OPTICAL/RF LENS FOR ONE OR TWO WAY COMMUNICATION

TWO ORIGINAL CONCEPTS ARE COMBINED IN OUR MULTIBEAM LENS: A REMARKABLE NEW LIGHTWEIGHT GLASS, CALLED AEROGEL, AND A TRANSLUCENT SPHERICAL LUNEBURG LENS, FORMED OF CONCENTRIC SPHERICAL SHELLS OF GRADED REGRACTIVE INDEX, "N". A U.S. PATENT ISSUED IN 1991 DESCRIBES THIS TECHNIQUE. THIS GALSS OPENS TEH DORR TO CONSTRUCTION OF THE FIRST USEFUL OPTICAL LUNEBURG LENS. RECENTLY, AEROGEL WITH "N" VALUES GREATER THAN 1.4, RANGING DOWN TO A FEW TENTHS OF 1% GREATER TAHN 1, HAS BEEN PRODUCED. THE LIGHTEST MATERIAL IS ONLY A FEW PERCENT HEAVIER THAN AIR. AEROGEL HAS MILLIMETER WAVE CHARACTERISTICS SIMILAR TO ITS OPTICAL RESPONSE WHICH LEADS TO THE POSSIBILITY FOR SIMULTANEOUS RF/OPTICAL SENSING/COMMUNICATION IN A SINGLE LENS/APERTURE. PROMISING USES INCLUDE: COMMUNICATIONS LINDS FOR LARGE NUMBERS OF BRILLIANT PEBBLES; ALL ANGLE ANTI-SATELLITE WARNING; TACTICAL AIR DEFENSE MISSILE WARNING; WIDE ANGLE ANTI-COLLISION SENSING IN CROWDED AIRSPACE NEAR AIRPORTS; AND AUTOMOBILE COLLISION WARNING.