Feasibility Analysis and Demonstration of High-Speed Digital Imaging Using Micro-Arrays of Vertical Cavity Surface-Emitting Lasers

Abstract

Previous laser illumination systems at Aberdeen Proving Ground and elsewhere required complex pulse timing, extensive cooling large-scale laser systems (frequency-doubled flash-pumped Nd:YAG Cu-vapor, Q-switched ruby), making them difficult to implement for range test illumination in high speed videography. Requirements to illuminate through the self-luminosity of explosive events motivate the development of a high brightness imaging technique obviating the limitations of previous attempts. A lensed vertical cavity surface-emitting laser array is proposed and implemented with spectral filtering to effectively remove self-luminosity and the fireball from the image, providing excellent background discrimination in a variety of range test scenarios.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 01, 2011
Accession Number
ADA575401

Entities

People

  • Baiming Guo
  • Carl Lubking
  • Chuni L. Ghosh
  • Douglas Herr
  • Edward Tangradi
  • Howard Tarpine
  • Kristopher Brewer
  • Mark A. Mentzer
  • Neil Ojason
  • Robin Nicolai

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Arrays
  • Brightness
  • Cameras
  • Data Processing
  • Demonstrations
  • Digital Images
  • Electronics
  • Engineering
  • Explosives
  • Filtration
  • Illumination
  • Image Processing
  • Laser Arrays
  • Lasers
  • Light Sources
  • Quantum Efficiency
  • Surface Emitting Lasers

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Explosive Engineering.
  • Image Processing and Computer Vision.
  • Optical Physics and Photonics.

Technology Areas

  • Directed Energy