Lockheed Martin The Ultrashort Pulse Laser Workshop provides a forum for the presentation of state-of-the-art ultrashort pulse laser technology, physics, and applications. Past attendees will note that "Material Interaction" has been dropped from the original name of the workshop to better reflect the diverse and growing field of ultrashort pulse lasers and their applications. While the industrial, material processing applications are rapidly grasped, the potential military utility of ultrashort pulse laser technology can be elusive or overshadowed by its High Energy cousins.
The sixth Ultra-Short Pulse Laser Workshop brought together government, industry, and academic leaders for discussions of basic and applied research and technology efforts and the future of ultrashort pulse lasers for military and other applications. Technical presentations covered a diverse spectrum of interests including DoE and DoD laboratories, industry, and other scientific and engineering institutions. Workshop Plenary Speakers The agenda for the workshop can be viewed here. Ultrashort Laser Bioeffects Short Course This 3 hours short course introduced the basics of the biological effects of Directed Energy on cells, tissues, organisms, and humans, with particular emphasis on the influence of such effects on the development of use of Directed-Energy-Emitting technologies. The student learned about the mechanisms, resulting damage, and mission impact of laser-tissue interaction, as well as what tissues are most susceptible to laser damage based on wavelength, exposure duration, and irradiance. The potential mission-impact of sub-threshold, threshold, and suprathreshold exposures was discussed. Topics covered included:
Intended Audience: Students needed a basic knowledge of electromagnetism, such as that gained from a bachelor's program in science or engineering or on-the-job technical experience. Persons affected by laser safety standards during the development, test, evaluation, and use of Directed-Energy-Emitting equipment found the course particularly elucidating. Individuals involved in health, science, or weapons policy also benefited from the plain language explanations of the technical subjects addressed in the course. Instructor: Dr. Benjamin A. Rockwell is a Principal Research Physicist in the Optical Radiation Branch, Directed Energy Bioeffects Division, Human Effectiveness Directorate, of the Air Force Research Laboratory. Dr. Rockwell has co-authored 43 peer-reviewed publications, 101 proceedings publications, and published two book chapters and one review article. He is a Fellow of the Laser Institute of America. He serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Laser Applications, is the Conference Chair of the 2009 International Laser Safety Conference, and serves or has served on the national (ANSI Z136) and international (IEC TC-76) laser safety committees. Proceedings Proceedings from this workshop are available for purchase from the DEPS online store.
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