These short courses were offered in conjunction with the Sixth Annual Directed Energy Symposium. Continuing Education Unit (CEU) credits were offered for completion of these DEPS short courses.
Course 1. Introduction to High Energy Lasers and Current Technical Issues Classification: Unclassified Instructor: John Albertine, Consultant Duration: Half-day course, starts at 0800 CEUs awarded: 0.35 Course Description and Topics: This lecture will introduce the field of HEL weapons and their associated technologies using an interweaving of technical requirements, history, and accomplishments. The basic attributes of HEL weapons will be covered, leading into discussions of laser-material interaction, lethality, potential weapon applications, system requirements, laser power scaling, propagation, and beam control. DoD interest in tactical applications, current technical issues, and areas of research emphasis will be highlighted. Intended Audience: This course is geared to those with a technical background who seek an overview of HEL technology and the current state of the art. Individuals who are beginning to work in the field or technical managers who wish an integrated overview would benefit from the class. Instructor Biography: Mr. Albertine has his B.S. and M.S. in Physics from Rose Polytechnic Institute and Johns Hopkins University respectively. Prior to working for the Navy, he was a senior staff physicist in the Space Division of The Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory. From 1976 through 1997, he worked in the Navy's High Energy Laser (HEL) Program Office, directing the Navy’s technology development for the last 15 years. During that time, he led the development and test of the first megawatt class HEL system in the free world. He retired from civil service in 1997 and now consults for OSD, the Air Force, ONR, the Navy HEL program office, and Penn State in the Directed Energy field. Mr. Albertine is also a member of the Air Force Science Advisory Board and is Executive Vice President and a member of the Board of Directors of the Directed Energy Professional Society. Course 2. Introduction to High Power Microwaves and Current Technical Issues Classification: Unclassified Instructor: Dr. Al Kehs, Army Research Laboratory Duration: Half-day course, starts at 0800 CEUs awarded: 0.35 Course Description and Topics: This course will provide an introduction to RF Directed Energy weapons, also known as High Power Microwave (HPM) weapons. The course consists of four parts: 1) a general introduction to the basic terms and concepts, 2) a discussion of the varous types of effects that can be induced and how they are characterized, 3) the technologies that enable RF-DEW weaponization, and 4) hardening techniques and technologies. At the end of the class, students will know what RF-DEWs are and how they differ from classical Electronic Warfare and nuclear EMP. Students will learn the various ways in which microwaves couple into a target (i.e., front door/back door, in-band/out-of-band) and some of the many sorts of effects that they can precipitate. Technology discussions will show the difference between narrow band (NB) and ultra-wide band (UWB) sources, antennas and diagnostics, as well as the principle elements of the power systems needed to support them. The course concludes with a discussion of hardening techniques and technologies. The topic to be covered include:
Intended Audience: Newcomers to the field of RF-DEW or managers with some background in science and engineering will benefit the most from this course. Instructor Biography: R. Alan Kehs received the B.S. and M.S. degrees in Electrical Engineering and the M.S. and PhD degrees in Physics from the University of Maryland, College Park in 1970, 1973, 1984, and 1987 respectively. Dr. Kehs joined the Army's Harry Diamond laboratories in 1975 and his a recognized expert on the generation and use of intense relativistic electron beams for the production of high-power microwave radiation. Some of this major studies include the reflex diode as a source of both ion beams and High Power Microwaves (HPM) and the intense relativistic electron beam-driven backward wave oscillator as a source for HPM and as a pump for a free-electron laser. Recent assignments include Chief of the Directed Energy Branch and Chief of the Nuclear and High Power Microwave Technology Office. Dr. Kehs currently serves as a senior scientist in the Directed Energy and Power Generation Division at the Army Research Laboratory and also serves as the Army principal on several Directed Energy-related panels including the TARA Technical Panel on Directed Energy Weapons and the tri-service HPM technology steering group. Dr. Kehs is a member of Eta Kappa Nu, Sigma Xi, the Old Crows, the American Physical Society, the Society for Scientific Exploration, a Senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and a member of the Board of Directors of the Directed Energy Professional Society. Course 3. Ultra-Short Pulsed Laser Technology and Phenomenology Classification: Unclassified Instructors: Duration: Half-day course, starts at 0800 CEUs awarded: 0.35 Course Description and Topics: This course will describe the various aspects of high peak power (> TW) ultrashort lasers with pulsewidths less than 100 fsec. Four areas will be covered including (a) ultrashort laser-material / air interactions and resultant effects, (b) unique aspects of ultrashort lasers including self-focusing, (c) physics for design and operation of ultrashort laser technology including average power scaling and (d) beam control system issues for ultrashort lasers. Major goals of the course are to provide a good working knowledge of this exciting laser technology along with its potential uses for both the DoD and commercial applications. Experiments using terawatt pulses with durations less than a picosecond show long-distance propagation of plasma and optical filaments, broadband generation, and emission of sub-THz electromagnetic pulses. To study this, fully time-dependent, three-dimensional, nonlinear equations describing the propagation of laser pulses in air under the influence of diffraction, group velocity dispersion, Kerr nonlinearity, stimulated Raman scattering, ionization, and plasma wakefield excitation are presented. The spectral broadening of laser pulses is investigated and an equilibrium configuration for optical and plasma filaments in air is obtained. We present recent theoretical, computational, and experimental work on the propagation of ultra-short laser pulses in air. We also discuss generation of x-rays from the surface of a dielectric illuminated by an intense laser pulse. Laser physics of ultrashort lasers including solid-state lasers, nonlinear propagation physics of fsec-TW laser pulses, experimental, theoretical analysis of ultrashort laser-material interactions, and beam control system requirements for ultrashort lasers are briefly outlined. In addition, various applications of ultra short pulsed lasers will be discussed. Intended Audience: Graduate students in physics and EE should benefit from along with other scientists / engineers working in Directed Energy efforts or projects. Instructor Biographies: Dr Vern Schlie is ST, Senior Scientist, Laser Technology working in the Directed Energy Directorate of the Air Force Research Laboratory – Kirtland AFB, NM. He has had more the 35 years experience working in all types of HEL including chemical, electric discharge lasers (EDL’s) and solid-state lasers. He is also Fellow of OSA and AFRL. Dr. Phillip Sprangle is Chief Scientist and Head of the Beam Physics Branch at the Naval Research Laboratory. He received his Ph.D. in Applied Physics at Cornell University in 1973. His research areas include atmospheric laser propagation, free electron lasers, nonlinear optics and laser acceleration physics. Dr. Sprangle is a fellow of the American Physical Society and the IEEE. He is winner of the International Free Electron Laser Prize (1991), E.O. Hulburt Science and Engineering Award (1986) and Sigma Xi Pure Science Award (1994). Dr. Sprangle has published over 200 refereed scientific articles and holds 12 U.S. patents. Course 4. High Power Microwave Technology Classification: FOUO Instructors: Duration: Half-day course, starts at 0800 CEUs awarded: 0.35 Course Description and Topics: This HPM course will include current research topics related to the basic components of HPM Source technology: 1) prime power, 2) pulsed power, 3) electron beam diodes, 4) microwave circuits (Narrowband and Ultrawideband), 5) antennas, and 6) diagnostics. This course will spend considerable time on frequency and time domain calibrations, along with discussion of new techniques for time domain calibrations. Also, sample calculations done in conjunction with HPM research will be described and shown. Intended Audience: This course is aimed at researchers involved in development of HPM Sources and Systems. The new researcher or program manager will benefit by being exposed to these topics and techniques. Also, anyone planning to setup a new HPM lab will gain background material on the technologies and their associated hazards. Instructor Biographies: Kyle J. Hendricks is currently Group Leader of the Narrowband HPM Sources Group at the Air Force Research Laboratory. This group is responsible for experimental development of HPM Sources, which includes work on pulsed power systems, vacuum diodes, electron beams, HPM antennas, microwave transmission, diagnostic development, and supporting HPM effects testing. He received the B.S. and M.S. degrees in Physics from the University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa in 1980 and 1982, respectively. He received the Ph.D. degree from the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM in 1989. Dr. Hendricks received the 1988 USAF Research and Development Award, and was co-recipient of the 2001 Directed Energy Giller Award and the 2001 USAF Science and Engineering Award. Dr. Hendricks has published in the open literature on HPM Sources and Antennas, and has numerous AFRL reports on HPM sources, components, and ciagnostic/calibration techniques. Dr. Hendricks is currently the point-of-contact for the planned Narrowband HPM Lab, proposed for FY07. Thomas A. Spencer received the Ph.D. and M.S.E. in Nuclear Engineering from the University of Michigan in 1991 and 1988, respectively, and the B.S. degree in Nuclear Science, with minors in Mathematics and Physics, from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in 1986. He joined the High Power Microwave (HPM) Source group at the Air Force Research Laboratory in 1992, where he is a research and development engineer and program manager. Dr. Spencer is author and co-author of approximately 40 refereed journal articles, was guest editor for the IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science Eighth Special Issue on High Power Microwaves, and has given several invited talks at conferences and universities on the subject of HPM sources. He is presently a Senior Member of the IEEE, an elected member of the IEEE Nuclear Plasma Society Executive Committee and has served on seven dissertation committees. Dr. Spencer has also been an Adjunct Professor for Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University where he taught College Math and Calculus. Course 5. Beam Control Technology Classification: FOUO Instructors: Duration: Full-day course, starts at 0800 CEUs awarded: 0.7 Course Description and Topics: This course is Export Controlled so only US Persons can attend. The course is an overview of the technology and analysis needed to understand and design the beam control systems that accomplish acquisition, pointing and tracking for a laser system. The system could be communications, imaging, or laser deposition, and the technology would still be very similar. The course includes introduction lectures to optics and control theory, developing mathematical models for the various functions required with beam control, as well as the performance equations that describe propagation of a laser beam to a target. The attendees will be given the basic equations necessary to describe beam control system performance. The topic to be covered include:
Intended Audience: The students will obtain an overall understanding of the analysis needed to describe, design, and evaluate a precision pointing and tracking system. The course assumes that the attendee has a basic undergraduate level of engineering and mathematics. The solution of differential equations is used to describe the operation of control systems. Both technical persons and managers should benefit from the development and discussions regarding the operation of beam control systems. Technicians may find the course too analytical. The authors have included many references at the end of each section such that a student in the area may delve much deeper into the material if desired. No experience in the field is required; however, some experience in the field will be helpful since the topics are covered rapidly. Instructor Biographies: Paul Merritt received his PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of New Mexico. Retired from Boeing-SVS where he was a Senior Technical Fellow. SPIE Fellow. Taught Control Theory and Random Analyses Classes at UNM. Jobs have included the following: 1974-1983, Air Force Weapons Laboratory, the Airborne Laser Laboratory, responsible for control systems and diagnostics. 1983-1987, Hughes Aircraft, Department Manager for Controls, worked on SDIO laser system concepts and acceptance testing of the SeaLite Beam Director at White Sands Missile Range. 1987-1992, Air Force Research Laboratory, Surveillance Division. 1992-1997, AFRL, Technical Director of Airborne Laser Technology, responsible for conceptualizing and conducting tests to show the viability of the ABL weapon systems. 1997-2003, Boeing-SVS, Enabling Technology Enterprise Lead, worked on controls for Space Based Laser, and field testing of the Tactical High Energy Laser. Organized and taught ATP course at Boeing-SVS (2 times), at meetings of DEPS (3 times), and SPIE company class (2 times). Tim Howard received his M.S. in Physics from Memphis State University, Memphis, TN. Boeing Associate Technical Fellow, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Associate Fellow, NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts Fellow. A broad background in optical and electronic systems including ground-, air-, and space-based systems, and in applications including tracking, sensing, guidance and control, astronomical instruments, and precision measurement. 1979-1988, Rockwell Autonetics Systems Division, Anaheim, CA, Engineering Specialist, Instruments Engineering. 1988-1991, GENCORP/Aerojet Electronic Systems Division, Azusa, CA, Engineering Specialist, Space Systems Engineering. 1991-1993, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, Project Engineer, Department of Physics and Astronomy. 1993- 1996, Rockwell Systems Development Center, Seal Beach, CA, Senior Engineering Specialist, Advanced Programs. 1996-1998, Boeing North American, Reusable Space Systems Division, Downey, CA, Senior Engineering Specialist, Advanced Programs/Avionics. 1998-present, Boeing-SVS, Southern California and Albuquerque, NM Engineer/Scientist, Systems Engineering. Richard Brunson received his M.S. in Electrical Engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology. Boeing Technical Fellow. A broad background in control systems and tracking systems. 1998-present, Boeing-SVS where he has led several beam control and tracking projects including both ground and airborne systems. He has been heavily involved with tracking projects that use correlation techniques to accomplish the line-of-sight pointing. His previous jobs have included: 1993-1998, Aerospace Corporation, where he was involved with the Airborne Laser Project. 1987-1993, Logicon RDA, where he was involved in target tracking and atmospheric wavefront compensation. 1967-1987, active duty in the Air Force where he was involved in space programs, ground based laser technology, and arming and fusing of nuclear weapons. Course 6. Free Electron Lasers Classification: Unclassified Instructors: Duration: Full-day course, starts at 0800 CEUs awarded: 0.7 Course Description and Topics: This course covers the theory and practice of free electron lasers (FELs), taught by four eminent specialists in the field. Professor Patrick O’Shea (University of Maryland) gives a general introduction to the subject, covering basic FEL theory, electron beam behavior, amplifier basics, energy recovery, and photo-injector requirements. Dr. Joe Blau (Naval Postgraduate School) discusses FEL modeling and simulation, including a detailed discussion of phase space and the effects of undulator taper, beam and mirror vibration, electron/optical pulse synchronization, coherence evolution, and an overview of military applications. Dr. Steve Benson (Jefferson Laboratory) shows how to practically implement an FEL design, including many examples. He also discusses several FEL subsystems: the photo-injector, drive laser, mirror assembly, RF cryomodule design, energy recovery, magnet requirements, and the electron dump. Dr. Dinh Nguyen (Los Alamos National Laboratory) discusses FEL amplifiers, including the basic theory, gain considerations, optical guiding, electron bunch compression, and undulator theory. The topic to be covered include:
Intended Audience: The course is suitable for undergraduate and graduate students in physics, engineering, and optics, ideally having at least an upper division course in electromagnetic theory. Technical people will benefit from the descriptions of FEL implementation and hardware, and managers of directed energy-related programs will be able to acquire a good overview of what an FEL is and its potential for various military, industrial and scientific applications. Instructors: Professor Patrick O’Shea - Director, Institute for Research in Electronics and Applied Physics, University of Maryland, College Park MD Professor Joe Blau - Physics Department, Center for Directed Energy and Electric Weapons, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey CA Dr. Steve Benson - Free Electron Laser Group, Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, Newport News VA Dr. Dinh Nguyen - Senior Project Leader, Directed Energy Programs Development, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos NM Course 7. Propagation of High Energy Lasers in the Atmosphere Classification: Unclassified Instructors: Duration: Half-day course, starts at 1300 CEUs awarded: 0.35 Course Description and Topics: This course will cover the subject of high energy laser propagation in the atmosphere. The propagation of high energy laser beams in the atmosphere is affected by a number of physical processes which can limit the amount of total transmitted energy. These processes include dispersion, turbulence, molecular absorption/scattering, thermal blooming, aerosol absorption/scattering and vaporization as well as optical Kerr focusing. A High Energy Laser Code for Atmospheric Propagation (HELCAP) has been developed which incorporates these and other physical processes. HELCAP is a fully 3-D, time dependent code that is uniquely suitable for studying and characterizing the atmospheric propagation of high energy laser pulses. The code has been employed to characterize the performance of a ~ 10 kW average power FEL pulse train propagating in air. We present results of simulations covering a range of wavelengths, pulse formats and atmospheric conditions, i.e., level of turbulence, aerosol concentration, molecular absorption/scattering and slew (wind) conditions. In addition, simulations of megawatt class laser beams in air will be presented, analyzed and discussed. The course will also address issues of adaptive optics relevant to the propagation of high energy laser beams. Though it is a critical technology for any laser system, it has limitations that have been revealed in analysis and experiments. Understanding these limitations will advance the development of more effective laser systems. Intended Audience: This course is intended to present an overview of the various physical processes which affect the propagation of HEL laser pulses in the atmosphere. Students or managers should have a good science background. Instructor Biographies: Dr. Phillip Sprangle is Chief Scientist and Head of the Beam Physics Branch at the Naval Research Laboratory. He received his Ph.D. in Applied Physics at Cornell University in 1973. His research areas include atmospheric laser propagation, free electron lasers, nonlinear optics and laser acceleration physics. Dr. Sprangle is a fellow of the American Physical Society and the IEEE. He is winner of the International Free Electron Laser Prize (1991), E.O. Hulburt Science and Engineering Award (1986) and Sigma Xi Pure Science Award (1994). Dr. Sprangle has published over 200 refereed scientific articles and holds 12 U.S. patents. Dr. Barry Hogge has worked on the development of lasers and other directed energy technologies at the Air Force Weapons Laboratory since the early 1970’s. He has led major programs to develop and demonstrate a wide variety of laser devices, for low to high power applications, as well as different kinds of devices such as chemical, electrical and other laser systems. Besides laser device technologies, Dr Hogge has directed research and development activities for many technologies, including optical components, beam control technologies and advanced imaging techniques. In 1989, Dr Hogge was selected as the Technical Director of the Air Force Research Laboratory’s High Energy Laser activities. In 1997 he was made the Chief Scientist of the Directed Energy Directorate, an organization of about 800 government and industry scientists and engineers. In 2000 he retired from government service and now works for New Mexico Tech, as an IPA to the Directed Energy Directorate. Course 8. Laser Effects and the Vulnerability Assessment Process Classification: FOUO Instructors: Duration: Half-day course, starts at 1300 CEUs awarded: 0.35 Course Description and Topics: Over the past two decades, the AFRL Laser Effects Research Branch has developed a successful process for quantifying the effects of laser irradiation on systems on interest to the Department of Defense (DoD). This process has been used for a number of major DoD laser programs including ABL, SBL, GBL Technology, and JTO along with developing a general foundation for the lethality science discipline. This course will provide an overview of the vulnerability assessment process along with lesson learned and key laser effects phenomenology. Upon completion of the course, the attendee will have an understanding of all the elements required to perform a high confidence laser vulnerability assessment. The attendee will also have a good understanding of risk and benefits when deviating from this approach along with the major requirements for data collection. Lastly, the attendee will gain a good understanding of various laser effects on common materials of interest. Topics to be covered include:
Intended Audience: The course will be broad in nature, but will best severe the following audiences: 1) Program and Technical managers responsible for the development of laser weapon systems who need an overall understanding of lethality science process and how to manage lethality activities to produce high confidence results; 2) system and design engineers who perform trade studies or develop system design requirements desiring to have a more comprehensive understanding of the development of lethality criteria and general laser effects phenomenology; and 3) the novice laser lethality engineer wanting to gain a global perspective of the elements involved with conducting a laser vulnerability assessment and general laser effects phenomenology. Instructor Biographies: Jorge E. Beraun is a senior supervisory research scientist at the Directed Energy Directorate of the Air Force Research Laboratory. Over the past 25 years, he has directly responsible for providing managerial and technical expertise in the conduct of the theoretical and experimental research for the understanding the physics of interaction of continuous wave laser, repetitive pulsed laser, high power microwave, and neutral particle beam (NPB) effects upon materials, components, electronics, structures, and subsystems in support of the Airborne Laser System Program Office, Ground Based Laser Anti-satellite Technology program, JTO, and the Missile Defense Agency. Major MDA’s Laser Lethality programs include: Large Scale Countermeasure Demonstration program, Demonstration of Lethality Enhancement techniques, Composite Structures and Modeling, and the Repetitive Pulse Effects Phenomenology program. Mr Beraun served on several DoD committees including the OSD High Energy Laser Program Review, JTO Lethality Technical Area Working Group Chair, JDL-TPDEW Laser Effects Sub-panel. Headed the Vulnerability integration activities for the Space Based Laser Program. Chaired and co-chaired vulnerability panels on major DEW studies including DE-ATAC, DEW Transition Study, and AFMC’s Laser Mission Study. Mr. Evanoff has 24 years of experience with survivability/vulnerability/lethality (S/V/L) analysis and testing and is currently employed with Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corporation. Over the past 17 years, the emphasis of his research has been on S/V/L studies associated with directed energy weapons (DEWs). The previous 7 years were associated with kinetic energy weapons (KEWs). Mr. Evanoff is currently program manager for several S/V/L-related programs for the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL). His technical expertise includes probabilistic methodology development; software development; propagation of uncertainties; failure mode, effects and criticality analysis (FMECA); and ballistic missile and satellite vulnerability analysis. Some of the major S/V/L programs that Mr. Evanoff has significantly contributed to include Airborne Laser (ABL), Space-Based Laser (SBL), Ground-Based Laser Technology (GBL-Tech), Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) Lethality & Target Hardening (Continuous Wave, Receptively Pulsed, Neutral Particle Beam), C-17 Survivability, Small Mobile Intercontinental Ballistic Missile, Defense Suppression Vehicle and Standard Missile. Course 9. High Power Microwave Effects Classification: SECRET Duration: Half-day course, starts at 1300 CEUs awarded: 0.35 Course Description and Topics: This course will describe the effects of High Power Microwaves (HPM) on electronics, concentrating on understanding failure mechanisms at the component level. Once a foundation is laid for how electronic devices fail, the course will cover the mechanisms of coupling of electrical power from an HPM source through obstructions such as building walls and enclosures, scattering and reflection, penetration through apertures, pickup on circuit traces and wires, rectification, and attenuation and reflection by impedances in connectors. Extensive use of the EMI/EMC, EMP, TREE, lightning, reliability, EW, and device and circuit board design literature will supplement the work of the HPM effects community. After this overview of failure phenomenology at the component level has been covered, the course will use this information to show how failures at the component pin level can be used to estimate a bounded probability of effects distribution for an electronics system or subsystem. The probability of effects can, in turn, be used for estimating the probability of system or mission kill. Current work on empirical determination of probability of effects for COTS at the electronics box level will be compared to the results for estimates done at the component level. Some additional topics will be briefly reviewed such as the HPM data base, test planning, execution, and data analysis, hardening, engagement modeling at the system level, and gaps that remain in our understanding of HPM effects. At the end of the course the student should have an understanding of the state of the US HPM community’s knowledge of HPM effects and HPM effects modeling and simulation for both components and various system classes, especially for systems based upon COTS subsystems. The topic to be covered include:
Intended Audience: An undergraduate education in science or engineering will be assumed, but no specific knowledge is needed of HPM, electronics, physics of failure, or modeling and simulation. Some familiarity with probability and statistics would be helpful, but not essential. Non-technical managers could profit from the insights they will gain into what is known versus where the gaps are.
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