ALEXANDRITE LASER/PHOTOCELL POWER TRANSMISSION SYSTEM

WE PROPOSE TO DEVELOP AND DEMONSTRATE AN ALEXANDRITE LASER/PHOTOCELL (OPTICAL-TO-ELECTRICAL) POWER TRANSMISSION SYSTEM SUITABLE FOR PROVIDING ELECTRICAL POWER TO MISSILE TELEMETRY ELECTRONICS DURING ELECTROMAGNETIC ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS TESTS. THE PROPOSED GROUNDBASED LASER (OPTICAL POWER SOURCE) WILL BE RELATIVELY COMPACT AND EMENABLE TO CONVENIENT FIELD OPERATION. THE PHOTOCELL AND ASSOCIATED POWER CONVERSION MODULE ARE TO BE CONTAINED IN A VOLUME 2 INCHES IN DIAMETER AND 2 INCHES IN HEIGHT AND WILL BE COMPATIBLE WITH TEST REQUIREMENTS. THE OPTICAL SOURCE AND POWER CONVERSTION MODULE ARE COUPLED BY A LOW LOSS OPTICAL FIBER POWER TRANSMISSION LINK. A BASELINE SYSTEM PROTOTYPE WILL BE CONSTRUCTED AND EVALUATED. IT WILL CONSIST OF: 1) A CONTINUOUS WAVE (CW) ALEXANDRITE LASER SOURCEEMITTING SEVERAL WATTS OF OPTICAL POWER AT WAVELENGTHS AT OR NEAR 750 NM; 2) A SI OR GAAS PHOTOCELL/POWER MODULE CAPABLE OF PUTTING OUT IN EXCESS OF 24 V AT CONVERSION EFFICIENCIES NEAR OR ABOVE 10%; 3) A FUSED SILICA OPTICAL FIBER LINK.