These short courses were offered in conjunction with the Advanced High-Power Laser Review, held in Broomfield, Colorado on 15-18 June 2010. Continuing Education Unit (CEU) credits were awarded for completion of these DEPS short courses.
Course 1. Windows, Substrates, and Coatings for HEL Applications Classification: Unclassified, Public Release Instructor: Bill Decker, Defense Acquisition University Duration: Half-day course, starts at 0800 CEUs awarded: 0.35 Course Description: This short course will discuss the current state of the art in windows, substrates and coatings when used in HEL systems. Windows for solid state and chemical lasers will be discussed, with the advantages and disadvantages of each material presented. Similar reviews of optical substrates for reflective optics and coatings for high energy laser systems will be presented. Sources of supply will be identified, along with recent experiences with each material. The pros and cons of these material and coatings choices will be reviewed as well as how these choices play into systems design and trades. Intended Audience: Program Managers, Systems Engineers, of HEL Systems. A fundamental understanding of optics is assumed. Instructor Biography: Mr. Decker is currently a Professor of Systems Engineering at the Huntsville Campus of the Defense Acquisition University and concurrently is the Director for the DAU Technology Transition Learning Center of Excellence. His experience includes over 30 years in electro-optics with ten years experience in high energy laser systems, including THEL, ABL, ATL and HELLADS, all while employed by Brashear (a division of L-3 Communications) in Pittsburgh, PA. Mr. Decker holds a MS in Physics from the Naval Postgraduate School and a BS in Engineering from Cornell University. Course 2. Introduction to Free Electron Lasers Classification: Unclassified, Limited Distribution C Instructor: Stephen Milton, Argonne National Laboratory Duration: Half-day course, starts at 0800 CEUs awarded: 0.35 Course Description and Topics: The purpose of this course is to provide the student with a basic understanding of the free-electron laser (FEL), the methods used to determine its properties, how to begin with the basic design, and what goes in to the actual design thought process of a real system. It will begin with the historical development of the FEL and then proceed with the basic and fundamental 1-D analytical treatment giving enough details so that the student can clearly understand the FEL process. Once the fundamentals are in hand these will be backed up by an introduction into the simulation of the FEL. Here examples will be given along with animation of the process so that the analytical knowledge can be driven home visually. Additional software tools used for the complete design of an FEL system will be introduced providing the student information about their particular uses as well as, when available, where the source code and documentation for these can be freely found. We will complete the course by going through a basic preliminary design thought process of a free-electron laser system designed to produce high average powers. Along the way additional information specific to some of the sub-systems will be described and explained. Topics to be covered include:
Instructor Biography: Dr. Stephen Milton first began exploring particle accelerator technologies in 1980. Since then he has worked, designed, or constructed a broad range of machines ranging from electron/positron colliders to proton machines for hadron therapy, to general purpose synchrotron light sources, to free-electron lasers and all sub-systems associated with these machines. His experience includes working in the national laboratory system, within industry, and twice for extended periods of time with organizations in Europe. Currently he is the Director of the FERMI@elettra FEL project in Trieste Italy and also devotes a fraction of his time to Argonne National Laboratory where his primary focus is on the design of high-power directed energy sources. This is his third time teaching this course for DEPS and the first time he has done so alone. Course 3. Thin Disk Laser and Applications Classification: Unclassified, Limited Distribution C Instructor: Vern Schlie, Integral Laser Solutions, LLC Duration: Half-day course, starts at 0800 CEUs awarded: 0.35 Course Description: Over the last 15 years, thin disk lasers (TDL) have made remarkable advances and now operate at kW’s of laser power, wall plus efficiencies greater than 20% and multi-mode operation. This SSL laser produces kW’s from lasing volumes less than 1.5 x 10-2 cm3, thin disk thicknesses of 200 microns and Yb:YAG crystals pumped at 100’s kW/cm3. These high power lasers are now are available from both Trumpf and Rofin-Sinar in Germany for various industrial uses. In this course, the TDL technology will be described relative to non-commercial uses. First, the basic thin disk laser designs, thin disk (TD) configurations and the thermal cooling of the TD will be provided. Next, detailed M&S results will be presented for understanding the optical disturbances critical for good BQ operation. Fabrication techniques for the thin disks (nominally, 200 micron thick) will be described along with the performances. Specific attention will also be given to the thermal management of the thin disks including advanced techniques and various applications in cw, pulsed and ultrashort laser uses. Significant emphasis will address the thermal-stress and associated non-uniform effects on the resultant BQ. The desired goal for the participant is to:
Intended Audience: Material presented easily handled by MS degree student in physics, EE, ME or chemistry. Instructor Biography: Dr. Vern Schlie worked for 38 years at the Air Force Research Laboratory, Directed Energy Directorate as the Senior Scientist, Laser Technology conducting HEL research on electrical, chemical, photolytic, solid-state and ultrashort laser technologies and their applications. He was responsible for planning, conducting, and coordinating research in laser technology while serving as the principal scientific authority and independent researcher in the field of laser technology within AFRL. Dr. Schlie is widely recognized in the laser community, advised / directed many laser programs within AFRL and participated in many governmental committees in DoD, DOE, NASA and NSF on laser technology, applications and effects. Since retiring from the Air Force in Jan, 2009, he has been serving as a consultant on High Energy Laser (HEL) technology and associated photonic phenomenology to various U.S. government agencies and universities. Dr. Schlie is a FELLOW of OSA, DEPS and AFRL and 2009 Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Illinois, his Alma Mater. Course 4. Introduction to Beam Quality Classification: Unclassified, Public Release Instructor: Sean Ross, AFRL/DE Duration:Half-day course, starts at 1300 CEUs awarded: 0.35 Course Description: This half day short course covers the general subject of high power laser beam quality. Topics covered include: definitions and applications of common measures of beam quality including Brightness, Power-in-the-bucket, M-squared, 'times diffraction limited', strehl ratio, beam parameter product etc. Special emphasis will be given to choosing an appropriate beam quality metric, tracing the metric to the application of the laser system and to various conceptual pitfalls which arise in this field. Material presented will come from general scientific literature as well as original work done by Dr. Ross and Dr. Pete Latham, both from the Air Force Research Laboratory Directed Energy Directorate. Intended Audience: This course should benefit anyone with an interest in laser beam quality, including program managers, scientists, engineers, and military personnel who are not experts in the field. Instructor Biography: Dr. Sean Ross has been with the Air Force Research Laboratory, Directed Energy Directorate, High Power Solid State Laser Branch since he received his PhD from the Center for Research and Education in Optics and Lasers (CREOL) in 1998. Research interests include nonlinear frequency conversion, high power solid state lasers, thermal management and laser beam quality. Beginning in 2000, frustration with commercial beam quality devices led to the work eventually presented in the Journal of Directed Energy, Vol. 2 No. 1 Summer 2006 "Appropriate Measures and Consistent Standard for High Energy Laser Beam Quality". This paper and its conference version (presented at the 2005 DEPS Symposium) have received awards from the Directed Energy Professional Society and the Directed Energy Directorate. Course 5. Atmospheric Propagation Classification: Unclassified, Limited Distribution C Instructor: Steven Fiorino Duration: Half-day course, starts at 1300 CEUs awarded: 0.35 Course Description:This course addresses how to characterize and quantify the major effects of the atmosphere on directed energy weapons propagation. A first principles atmospheric propagation and characterization code called the Laser Environmental Effects Definition and Reference (LEEDR) is described and demonstrated. In addition to overland cloud-free-line of sight (CFLOS) assessments, LEEDR enables the creation of exportable vertical profiles of temperature, pressure, water vapor, optical turbulence, and atmospheric particulates/hydrometeors as they relate to line-by-line extinction over the UV to RF portion of the spectrum. The course outline is as follows:
- Atmospheric Boundary layer - Molecular Composition - Aerosol Data - Clouds, Rain - Optical Turbulence - Realistic Correlation - Creating Atmospheric Profiles - Figures Intended Audience: US Government personnel and their direct contractors who have program requirements for or are interested in methods and tools to assess realistic environments and environmental effects for modeling and simulation, mission planning, and/or military systems operations. The course assumes the students have some technical background in radiative transfer through the atmosphere--either via an undergraduate degree or career experience. Instructor Biography: Dr. Steven Fiorino is an Assistant Professor of Atmospheric Physics (BS, MS, Ohio State University; MMOAS, Air Command and Staff College; BS, PhD, Florida State University) at the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) and is Associate Director of AFIT's Center for Directed Energy. Dr Fiorino's research experience includes microwave remote sensing, evaluating uncertainty in high-energy laser engagement due to atmospheric effects, and improving microphysical characterizations for nuclear fallout, transport, and dispersion. Course 6. Ultrashort Laser Induced Filaments: Propagation in Transparent Media Classification: Unclassified, Limited Distribution C Instructor: Pat Roach Duration: Half-day course, starts at 1300 CEUs awarded: 0.35 Course Description: This short course introduces and discusses the main theoretical aspects of ultrashort laser pulse induced filamentation in transparent media. The properties of femtosecond filaments and some of their published applications are presented in the context of electromagnetic theory starting with Maxwell’s equations. Theoretical models developed to explain filaments thus far and the main predictions inferred from them are reviewed along with various published techniques to observe filaments and to measure their characteristics will be discussed. Instructor Biography: Dr. William "Pat" Roach is the Senior Science Advisor, Advanced Electric Laser Branch, Laser Division, Directed Energy Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory Kirtland AFB, NM. He received his B.A. in Chemistry and Mathematics from Avila University, Kansas City, MO, an M.S. and Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and -Columbia, respectively. Dr. Roach is a Diplomate of the American Board of Health Physics, Distinguished Professor of Physics, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, and holds full and adjunct appointments as Professor of Preventive Medicine and Biometrics at the Uniform Services University of the Health Sciences, Adjunct Professor Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX. He is a Fellow of the SPIE, Fellow of the Laser Institute of America, and a Fellow of the American Society of Lasers in Medicine. Among his many academic awards are included the American Medical Surgeons of the United States Sustaining Membership Lecture Award for Scientific Research, the Armstrong Laboratory’s Directors Award, national honors from Phi Kappa Phi and Sigma Pi Sigma, and the Avila Medal of Honor. Dr. Roach is funded annually by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research to investigate the mathematical structure of femtosecond laser pulse induced filamentation and high energy continuous wave beam combining. He collaborates on the physics of directed energy source development. His research is directed toward the theoretical investigations of heat deposition from electromagnetic fields and the fundamental properties associated with the electromagnetic dispersion relations in materials. Dr. Roach serves as a National Academy of Science, National Research Council Postdoctoral Advisor, a member of the SPIE Program Committee and Chair for Laser Tissue Engineering Track and Laser Interaction with Tissue and Cells of BIOS.
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