Investigation of Diode Pumped Alkali Laser Atmospheric Transmission Using Tunable Diode Laser Absorption Spectroscopy
Abstract
A field deployable ruggedized tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS) device fiber coupled to a pair of 12.5" Ritchey-Chretien telescopes was used to study atmospheric propagation for open path lengths of 100 to 1,000 meters to estimate atmospheric transmission at key High Energy Laser (HEL) wavelengths. The potassium (K) version of the Diode Pumped Alkali Laser (DPAL) operates in between two of the sharp oxygen rotational features in the PP and the PQ branches. The device can be used to observe rotational temperature, concentrations, and atmospheric pressure. Molecular oxygen absorption lines near the potassium, and water vapor absorption lines near the rubidium and cesium DPALs at wavelengths near 770 nm, 795 nm, and 895 nm, respectively, were investigated using the Line-by-Line Radiative Transfer Model (LBLRTM) with the High Energy Laser End-to-End Simulation (HELEEOS). A tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS) device was used to anchor simulations to actual outdoor atmospheric open-path collections. The implications of different laser gain cell configurations in DPAL systems are discussed, including spectral lineshape and atmospheric transmittance and are compared to existing high power laser systems.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 2012
- Accession Number
- ADA574766
Entities
People
- Christopher A. Rice
Organizations
- Air Force Institute of Technology