LASER RADAR DEVELOPMENT.

Abstract

Several Q-switching experiments were conducted with the cored Nd:YAG. The 0.5- by 4-inch cored YAG rod was operated Q-switched at repetition rates up to 25 pps, with energy outputs of 200 to 300 millijoules per pulse. The head is capable of higher repetition rates, but the present energy storage system is not. The Q-switched operation is still limited by the short operating life of the Kodak saturable-filter dyes, even though we were able to extend the lifetime by a factor of 10 with better UV shielding. A brief examination of the major factors that determine the degradation by atmospheric turbulence of the performance of a laser radar is presented. Also the design and construction of a second-generation RGI system capable of illuminating and imaging a diffusely reflecting object in a water background at one mile with atmosphere-limited resolution is considered.

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Sep 01, 1968
Accession Number
AD0841426

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Atmospheres
  • Atmospheric Motion
  • Construction
  • Degradation
  • Demographic Cohorts
  • Energy
  • Energy Storage
  • Laser Radar
  • Lasers
  • Optical Equipment
  • Q Switching
  • Repetition Rate
  • Shielding
  • Switching
  • Turbulence

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Aerospace Test and Evaluation
  • Optical Physics and Photonics.

Technology Areas

  • Directed Energy