Military Laser Technology

ISBN-13: 9780470255605 / Angielski / Twarda / 2011 / 336 str.

Alastair D. McAulay

Opis

Recent advances in ultra-high-power lasers, including the free-electron laser, and impressive airborne demonstrations of laser weapons systems, such as the airborne laser, have shown the enormous potential of laser technology to revolutionize 21^st century warfare. Military Laser Technology for Defense, includes only unclassified or declassified information. The book focuses on military applications that involve propagation of light through the atmosphere and provides basic relevant background technology. It describes high-power lasers and masers, including the free-electron laser. Further, Military Laser Technology for Defense addresses how laser technology can effectively mitigate six of the most pressing military threats of the 21st century: attack by missiles, terrorists, chemical and biological weapons, as well as difficulty in imaging in bad weather and threats from directed beam weapons and future nuclear weapons. The author believes that laser technology will revolutionize warfare in the 21st century.

Spis treści

PREFACE.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR.

I OPTICS TECHNOLOGY FOR DEFENSE SYSTEMS.

1 OPTICAL RAYS.

1.1 Paraxial Optics.

1.2 Geometric or Ray Optics.

1.3 Optics for Launching and Receiving Beams.

2 GAUSSIAN BEAMS AND POLARIZATION.

2.1 Gaussian Beams.

2.2 Polarization.

3 OPTICAL DIFFRACTION.

3.1 Introduction to Diffraction.

3.2 Uncertainty Principle for Fourier Transforms.

3.3 Scalar Diffraction.

3.4 Diffraction–Limited Imaging.

4 DIFFRACTIVE OPTICAL ELEMENTS.

4.1 Applications of DOEs.

4.2 Diffraction Gratings.

4.3 Zone Plate Design and Simulation.

4.4 Gerchberg Saxton Algorithm for Design of DOEs.

5 PROPAGATION AND COMPENSATION FOR ATMOSPHERIC TURBULENCE.

5.1 Statistics Involved.

5.2 Optical Turbulence in the Atmosphere.

5.3 Adaptive Optics.

5.4 Computation of Laser Light Through Atmospheric Turbulence.

6 OPTICAL INTERFEROMETERS AND OSCILLATORS.

6.1 Optical Interferometers.

6.2 Fabry Perot Resonators.

6.3 Thin–Film Interferometric Filters and Dielectric Mirrors.

II LASER TECHNOLOGY FOR DEFENSE SYSTEMS.

7 PRINCIPLES FOR BOUND ELECTRON STATE LASERS.

7.1 Laser Generation of Bound Electron State Coherent Radiation.

7.2 Semiconductor Laser Diodes.

7.3 Semiconductor Optical Amplifiers.

8 POWER LASERS.

8.1 Characteristics.

8.2 Solid–State Lasers.

8.3 Powerful Gas Lasers.

9 PULSED HIGH PEAK POWER LASERS.

9.1 Situations in which Pulsed Lasers may be Preferable.

9.2 Mode–Locked Lasers.

9.3 Q–Switched Lasers.

9.4 Space and Time Focusing of Laser Light.

10 ULTRAHIGH–POWER CYCLOTRON MASERS/LASERS.

10.1 Introduction to Cyclotron or Gyro Lasers and Masers.

10.2 Gyrotron–Type Lasers and Masers.

10.3 Vircator Impulse Source.

11 FREE–ELECTRON LASER/MASER.

11.1 Significance and Principles of Free–Electron Laser/Maser.

11.2 Explanation of Free–Electron Laser Operation.

11.3 Description of High– and Low–Power Demonstrations.

III APPLICATIONS TO PROTECT AGAINST MILITARY THREATS.

12 LASER PROTECTION FROM MISSILES.

12.1 Protecting from Missiles and Nuclear–Tipped ICBMs.

12.2 The Airborne Laser Program for Protecting from ICBMs.

12.3 Protecting from Homing Missiles.

12.4 Protecting Assets from Missiles.

13 LASER TO ADDRESS THREAT OF NEW NUCLEAR WEAPONS.

13.1 Laser Solution to Nuclear Weapons Threat.

13.2 Description of National Infrastructure Laser.

14 PROTECTING ASSETS FROM DIRECTED ENERGY LASERS.

14.1 Laser Characteristics Estimated by Laser Warning Device.

14.2 Laser Warning Devices.

15 LIDAR PROTECTS FROM CHEMICAL/BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS.

15.1 Introduction to Lidar and Military Applications.

15.2 Description of Typical Lidar System.

15.3 Spectrometers.

15.4 Spectroscopic Lidar Senses Chemical Weapons.

16 94 GHz RADAR DETECTS/TRACKS/IDENTIFIES OBJECTS IN BAD WEATHER.

16.1 Propagation of Electromagnetic Radiation Through Atmosphere.

16.2 High–Resolution Inclement Weather 94 GHz Radar.

16.3 Applications, Monitoring Space, High Doppler, and Low Sea Elevation.

17 PROTECTING FROM TERRORISTS WITH W–BAND.

17.1 Nonlethal Crowd Control with Active Denial System.

17.2 Body Scanning for Hidden Weapons.

17.3 Inspecting Unopened Packages.

17.4 Destruction and Protection of Electronics.

BIBLIOGRAPHY.

INDEX.

O autorze

Alastair D. McAulay, PhD, is Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Lehigh University. Previously he was NCR professor and chairman of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at Wright State University and program manager in the Central Research Laboratories of Texas Instruments. He has published more than 150 papers and his book Optical Computer Architectures, published by Wiley in 1991, has been used for courses around the world and reprinted several times.

Contact the author at www.linkedin.com/in/alastairmcaulay

Blurb

A timely survey of current and proposed laser system technology for warfare

With the rapidly changing nature of conflict today, laser system development has benefited from a new focus and urgency. Because laser beams can project energy over kilometers in microseconds fast enough to eliminate most countermeasure responses laser technology seems ideal for defense against modern weapons. Military Laser Technology for Defense: Technology for Revolutionizing 21st Century Warfare highlights recent advances in high–power lasers and impressive airborne demonstrations of laser weapons that show the enormous potential of laser technology to revolutionize twenty–first–century warfare.

Including only unclassified or declassified information, the book focuses on military applications that involve propagation of laser beams through the atmosphere. Chapters cover:

• Optical technology, including optical beams, interferometers, diffraction and propagation of laser light in the atmosphere

• Laser technology including efficient ultra–high power lasers, such as the free–electron laser, that will have a major impact on future warfare

• How laser technology can effectively mitigate six of the most pressing military threats of the twenty–first century including missiles, future nuclear weapons, directed beam weapons, chemical and biological attack, and terrorists, as well as imaging challenges in bad weather

Understanding these threats and their associated laser protection systems is critical for allocating resources because a balance is required between maintaining a strong economy, an effective infrastructure, and a capable military defense. Military Laser Technology for Defense will provide scientists, engineers, military planners, academic researchers and students with a comprehensive reference for the design and development of new laser systems and for strategic planning.