Plasma SBS for Laser Optical Protection

Tunable, visible wavelength band (400 to 700nm) lasers pose a serious threat to the Army war-fighter through direct eye damage and damage of electronic imaging systems. By their nature these lasers require conventional filters that would essentiallyeliminate the ability for Army tank operators to observe the battlefield by blocking all visible light. Nonlinear, plasma-stimulated Brilliuon scattering (plasma-SBS) can potentially act as a filter blocking a wide band of high power laser light throughoutthe visible, near IR and UV spectral band. This technique may be potentially be adapted to address very fast rise time/short laser threat pulses and is able to continuously adjust (at the level of basic non-linear optical physics) to varying or multiplewavelength laser threats. SARA proposes to investigate the viability of this plasma mechanism with additional control methods to potentially block unwanted re-radiated light to give a new means of self protection to Army vehicle imaging systems. UnderPhase-I we will perform a critical study of various possible protective nonlinear/plasma effects to be applied to this problem. If successful this technology may lead to a new means of optical self-protection from bat-tlefield pulsed and high energy laser threats. There would be immediate usage in all branches of the Armed services, Special Forces and counter-terrorism. Furthercommercial applications may provide protective systems to eliminate eye hazards from accidental/col-lateral laser use and protect high power lasers from self-generated (destructive) feedback into sensitive optical components.