Diode Pumped Laser
Abstract
Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Technicians require the capability for long standoff disruption of Improved Conventional Munitions (ICMs), many of which contain Electronic Safe and Armed Fuzes (ESAFs), scatterable submunitions, and unexploded ordnance (UXO). Diode pumped lasers and the phenomenology of the laser beam interaction with ordnance items need to be studied, characterized, and developed for this application. Lamp pumped lasers are proven to have some merit for the long stand-off disruption of ordnance. However, the lamp pumped laser system is large and expensive, requiring a large armored vehicle platform. Diode pumped lasers have a beam quality figure of around 3 to 5 compared to a figure of approximately 130 for lamp pumped lasers. The output aperture diameter can be reduced to approximately 1/3 the diameter of the lamp pumped output aperture (from 40 cm to 15 cm). Also, diode pumped lasers are electrically more efficient, allowing the prime mover, waste heat, and power subsystems to be greatly reduced in size. System maintenance costs will be vastly diminished due to the inherent ruggedness of the diode laser. But the diode pumped laser beam has a much greater brightness, and the effects of spot size and this higher irradiance on ordnance failure modes must be determined.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 30, 1998
- Accession Number
- ADA537606
Entities
People
- Christopher K. Debolt
- Owen C. Hofer
- Robert G. Root