Novel ambient light extinction measurements to characterize atmospheric effects in directed energy test ranges

High Energy Laser and High Power Microwave systems are maturing and transitioning directed energy technologies to serve as next-generation weapon systems. Directed Energy Test (DET) supports testing of high-energy systems. Test ranges require accurate information regarding atmospheric conditions to evaluate DET results, including ambient light extinction (causes attenuation in the atmosphere). Our existing commercial technology is well suited to this problem, in that it provides highly accurate, sensitive measurements of true ambient light extinction and particle size distributions in a robust package suitable for outdoor operation on test ranges. It can also be reduced to a form factor suitable for UAS and other airborne deployments and is low enough in cost to provide a full three dimensional picture of atmospheric conditions in a test range and along the test system energy path. Our team of atmospheric physicists and optics experts are well positioned to transition the technology to DOD applications, and broader commercialization. Our proposal addresses TA-003 Directed Energy Technology and TA-005 Sensors Technology.