Preliminary Evaluation of the Impacts of Aerosol Particles on Laser Performance in the Coastal Marine Boundary Layer
Abstract
This report summarized work performed by the Naval Research Laboratory, SPAWAR Systems Center-San Diego, NASA GSFC and TNO Netherlands on preliminary assessments of the impact of aerosol particles on High Energy Laser performance. While there is only fair visibility in many sensitive parts of the globe, including the Persian Gulf/Arabian Sea, East Asia, and some parts of the Mediterranean Sea, extremely poor visibility events are more rare and are unlikely to be catastrophic to a HEL system. Along coastal regions, dust, pollution, and smoke can be present, which will impair performance over long path lengths. Sea salt and haze can also be significant in regions with considerable stratus cloud cover (such as parts of East Asia and the Arabian Sea). While wavelength optimization is straightforward with respect to water vapor, atmospheric dust, and sea salt, the presence of urban pollution and smoke can complicate the analysis and an optimum wavelength becomes site specific.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 21, 2004
- Accession Number
- ADA425811
Entities
People
- Alexander Van Eijk
- Douglas L. Westphal
- Jeffrey S. Reid
- Richard M. Paulus
- Si-chee Tsay
Organizations
- United States Naval Research Laboratory