Interaction of high intensity laser radiation with metallic surfaces
High intensity pulsed laser beam interactions with gold and copper surfaces
Varsi, G.↗
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Classical theory of high-intensity laser radiation scattered off free electrons
High intensity pulsed laser radiation scattering by free electrons, studying linearly polarized incident radiation
Sarachik, E. S.↗
High Intensity Laser Power Beaming Architecture for Space and Terrestrial Missions
High Intensity Laser Power Beaming (HILPB) has been developed as a technique to achieve Wireless Power Transmission (WPT) for both space and terrestrial applications. In this paper, the system architecture and hardware results for a terrestrial application of HILPB are presented. These results demonstrate continuous conversion of high intensity optical energy at near-IR wavelengths directly to electrical energy at output power levels as high as 6.24 W from the single cell 0.8 cm2 aperture receiver. These results are scalable, and may be realized by implementing receiver arraying and utilizing higher power source lasers. This type of system would enable long range optical refueling of electric platforms, such as MUAV s, airships, robotic exploration missions and provide power to spacecraft platforms which may utilize it to drive electric means of propulsion.
Nayfeh, Taysir↗
Comparison of Square and Radial Geometries for High Intensity Laser Power Beaming Receivers
In an effort to further advance a realizable form of wireless power transmission (WPT), high intensity laser power beaming (HILPB) has been developed for both space and terrestrial applications. Unique optical-to-electrical receivers are employed with near infrared (IR-A) continuous-wave (CW) semiconductor lasers to experimentally investigate the HILPB system. In this paper, parasitic feedback, uneven illumination and the implications of receiver array geometries are considered and experimental hardware results for HILPB are presented. The TEM00 Gaussian energy profile of the laser beam presents a challenge to the effectiveness of the receiver to perform efficient photoelectric conversion, due to the resulting non-uniform illumination of the photovoltaic cell arrays. In this investigation, the geometry of the receiver is considered as a technique to tailor the receiver design to accommodate the Gaussian beam profile, and in doing so it is demonstrated that such a methodology is successful in generating bulk receiver output power levels reaching 25 W from 7.2 sq cm of photovoltaic cells. These results are scalable, and may be realized by implementing receiver arraying and utilizing higher power source lasers to achieve a 1.0 sq m receiver capable of generating over 30 kW of electrical power. This type of system would enable long range optical "refueling" of electric platforms, such as MUAV s, airships, robotic exploration missions and provide power to spacecraft platforms which may utilize it to drive electric means of propulsion. In addition, a smaller HILPB receiver aperture size could be utilized to establish a robust optical communications link within environments containing high levels of background radiance, to achieve high signal to noise ratios.
Raible, Daniel E.↗
Optical Frequency Optimization of a High Intensity Laser Power Beaming System Utilizing VMJ Photovoltaic Cells
An effective form of wireless power transmission (WPT) has been developed to enable extended mission durations, increased coverage and added capabilities for both space and terrestrial applications that may benefit from optically delivered electrical energy. The high intensity laser power beaming (HILPB) system enables long range optical 'refueling" of electric platforms such as micro unmanned aerial vehicles (MUAV), airships, robotic exploration missions and spacecraft platforms. To further advance the HILPB technology, the focus of this investigation is to determine the optimal laser wavelength to be used with the HILPB receiver, which utilizes vertical multi-junction (VMJ) photovoltaic cells. Frequency optimization of the laser system is necessary in order to maximize the conversion efficiency at continuous high intensities, and thus increase the delivered power density of the HILPB system. Initial spectral characterizations of the device performed at the NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) indicate the approximate range of peak optical-to-electrical conversion efficiencies, but these data sets represent transient conditions under lower levels of illumination. Extending these results to high levels of steady state illumination, with attention given to the compatibility of available commercial off-the-shelf semiconductor laser sources and atmospheric transmission constraints is the primary focus of this paper. Experimental hardware results utilizing high power continuous wave (CW) semiconductor lasers at four different operational frequencies near the indicated band gap of the photovoltaic VMJ cells are presented and discussed. In addition, the highest receiver power density achieved to date is demonstrated using a single photovoltaic VMJ cell, which provided an exceptionally high electrical output of 13.6 W/sq cm at an optical-to-electrical conversion efficiency of 24 percent. These results are very promising and scalable, as a potential 1.0 sq m HILPB receiver of similar construction would be able to generate 136 kW of electrical power under similar conditions.
Raible, Daniel E.↗
Semiclassical theory of a high-intensity laser.
Lamb theory of Doppler broadened gas laser extended to arbitrary intensities for single mode operation, calculating detuning curves and inversion densities
Lamb, W. E., Jr.↗
Interaction of high-intensity laser radiation with metals.
The interaction is characterized by the production of plasma, within which the primary absorption occurs. Absorption of laser radiation by a plasma may occur by several processes. The absorption process called 'inverse bremsstrahlung' is discussed. The interaction of a laser beam with the plasma produced from a thick metal target was studied. The results of the measurements of the ion kinetic energies are presented in a graph. In addition to measurements with thick targets, information was also obtained with a thin foil of gold.
Linlor, W. I.↗
Preliminary investigation of ablative material response to high-intensity CO2 laser radiation
Performance tests for ablative materials subjected to high intensity carbon dioxide laser radiation
Brewer, W. D.↗
Theory of a high-intensity gas laser
Single mode gas laser theory for arbitrary field intensities in terms of ensemble averaged form of density-matrix equations of motion
Feld, M. S.↗
Laser-Induced Incandescence in Microgravity
Knowledge of soot concentration is important due to its presence and impact upon a wide range of combustion processes ranging from diffusion to premixed flames, laminar to turbulent processes and homogeneous to heterogeneous combustion. Measurement of soot volume fraction (f(sub v)) is essential to discerning its formation and growth. The presence of soot also affects other physical and chemical properties of combustion thereby affecting studies not directly concerned with either its formation or growth, such as radiative heat transfer, CO oxidation and fuel vaporization or pyrolysis rates. Microgravity offers unique opportunities for studying both soot growth and the effect of soot radiation upon flame structure and spread. Spatial scales and residence time scales are greatly extended in 0-g facilitating soot growth studies. With the varied geometries, short duration microgravity test times and time-varying processes there is a demand for measurement of f(sub v) with high spatial and temporal resolution. Laser-induced incandescence (LII) has advanced f(sub v) measurements in many 1-g combustion processes. To create laser-induced incandescence, a pulsed high intensity laser heats soot to incandescence temperatures. Using appropriate spectral and temporal detection conditions, the resulting incandescence can be selectively detected apart from the non-laser-heated soot and flame gases. Theoretical modelling and experiments have shown that the resulting incandescence is representative of f(sub v). Using an intensified array camera and a laser sheet for excitation, one- and two-dimensionally resolved LII images of f(sub v) have been obtained in 1-g. LII has been characterized and developed at NASA-Lewis for soot volume fraction determination in a wide range of 1-g combustion applications. Broadly grouped, the characterization work has included studies of excitation intensity, excitation wavelength and the optimum temporal and spectral detection conditions to enable an accurate representation of soot volume fraction by LII. Tests for special requirements imposed by different combustion processes have been performed in laminar and turbulent diffusion flames, rich sooting premixed flames, single droplet combustion, and other heterogeneous combustion. These studies demonstrated LII's high sensitivity, temporal and spatial capabilities and its geometric versatility. In contrast to the advantages offered to combustion studies by a microgravity environment, advanced diagnostics, specifically those requiring pulsed laser diagnostics have been limited due to the size, weight and power limitations in a low-gravity environment. Reported here are the first demonstrations of LII performed in a microgravity environment. Examples are shown for laminar and turbulent gas-jet diffusion flames in 0-g.
VanderWal, Randy L.↗
Interaction of laser-induced stress waves with metals
An investigation of the effect of high intensity laser induced stress waves on the hardness and tensile strength of 2024 and 7075 aluminum and on the fatigue properties of 7075 aluminum were investigated. Laser shocking increases the hardness of the underaged 2024-T351 but has little or no effect on the peak aged 2024-T351 and 7075-T651 or the overaged 7075-T73. The fretting fatigue life of fastener joints of 7075-T6 was increased by orders of magnitude by laser shocking the region around the fastener hole; the fatigue crack propagation rates were decreased by laser shocking.
Clauer, A. H.↗
Effect of inhomogeneous radiation fields on free-free scattering processes
The apparent collision cross section of an inverse-bremsstrahlung (free-free) collision process is investigated analytically for the case of laser-field inhomogeneity. Numerical computations are performed for typical experimental conditions involving high-intensity laser fields, and the results are presented in a table: significant effects due to the field inhomogeneity are found, and it is determined that free-free processes are less likely in the TEM(01) mode than in the TEM(00) mode for given values of the parameters p and n.
Curry, P. J.↗
Laser production and heating of plasma for MHD application
Experiments have been made on the production and heating of plasmas by the absorption of laser radiation. These experiments were performed to ascertain the feasibility of using laser-produced or laser-heated plasmas as the input for a magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) generator. Such a system would have a broad application as a laser-to-electricity energy converter for space power transmission. Experiments with a 100-J-pulsed CO2 laser were conducted to investigate the breakdown of argon gas by a high-intensity laser beam, the parameters (electron density and temperature) of the plasma produced, and the formation and propagation of laser-supported detonation (LSD) waves. Experiments were also carried out using a 1-J-pulsed CO2 laser to heat the plasma produced in a shock tube. The shock-tube hydrogen plasma reached electron densities of approximately 10 to the 17th/cu cm and electron temperatures of approximately 1 eV. Absorption of the CO2 laser beam by the plasma was measured, and up to approximately 100 percent absorption was observed. Measurements with a small MHD generator showed that the energy extraction efficiency could be very large with values up to 56 percent being measured.
Jalufka, N. W.↗
Saturation of fluorescence in flames with a Gaussian laser beam
The method of saturated fluorescence for measuring species concentrations in flames is usually performed with laser beams that do not provide a constant intensity distribution across the focal volume. Because of the intensity distribution across the beam, the fluorescence signal does not depend on laser power or intensity in the same manner as for uniform illumination. This leads to anomolous apparent saturation intensities. In the following, the effect is considered for atomic fluorescence. Relations for the fluorescence signal under two common excitation geometries are derived and uncertainty relations used to consider the benefits of high laser intensity.
Daily, J. W.↗
An Overview of the Compensated Earth-Moon-Earth Laser Link (CEMERLL) Experiment
Adaptive optics can mitigate the turbulence-induced wavefront distortions that limit the minimum practical beam divergence in a ground-to-space optical link, and enable high intensity laser beam propagation through the atmosphere. The CEMERLL experiment will use laser guide star adaptive optics to transmit a near-diffraction-limited laser beam from the Starfire Optical Range to the Apollo lunar retro-reflectors. The experiment will validate theoretical models that predict the effect of atmospheric turbulence on uncompensated and compensated laser beam propagation, and explore strategies to compensate for atmosphere-induced wavefront tilt not corrected for by laser guide star adaptive optics.
adaptive↗
Design of intelligent mesoscale periodic array structures utilizing smart hydrogel
Mesoscale Periodic Array Structures (MPAS, also known as crystalline colloidal arrays), composed of aqueous or nonaqueous dispersions of self-assembled submicron colloidal spheres are emerging toward the development of advanced optical devices for technological applications. This is because of their unique optical diffraction properties and the ease with which these intriguing properties can be modulated experimentally. Moreover our recent advancements in this area which include 'locking' the liquid MPAS into solid or semisolid polymer matrices for greater stability with longer life span, and incorporation of CdS quantum dots and laser dyes into colloidal spheres to obtain nonlinear optical (NLO) responses further corroborate the use of MPAS in optical technology. Our long term goal is fabrication of all-optical and electro-optical devices such as spatial light modulators for optical signal processing and flat panel display devices by utilizing intelligent nonlinear periodic array structural materials. Here we show further progress in the design of novel linear MPAS which have the ability to sense and respond to an external source such as temperature. This is achieved by combining the self-assembly properties of polymer colloidal spheres and thermoshrinking properties of smart polymer gels. At selected temperatures the periodic array efficiently Bragg diffracts light and transmits most of the light at other temperatures. Hence these intelligent systems are of potential use as fixed notch filters optical switches or limiters to protect delicate optical sensors from high intensity laser radiation.
Sunkara, H. B.↗
Stability of absorption phenomena in laser-thermal propulsion
The mean flow and stability characteristics of laser absorption phenomena in a choked converging-diverging nozzle are considered. Calculations are presented for a given nozzle geometry and a series of laser intensities. Gas absorptivities corresponding to a hydrogen-cesium mixture are used with different initial temperatures being selected to investigate the effects of changes in the shape of the k-T curve. Both stability and mean flow calculations are limited to the one-dimensional case. The mean flow results show a decrease in mass flow as laser power is increased, along with increasingly steep temperature profiles. Calculations span regions of partial and complete absorption. One region is found where multiple solutions exist. Local stability results indicate the u-c characteristic is the only unstable mode in the unheated case. Laser heat addition makes this mode more unstable and also destabilizes the u-characteristic. Numerical calculations of disturbance propagation show that the instability of the u-c disturbances is counteracted by their reflection to u + c disturbances at the upstream end. The growth of the u-disturbances is localized in regions where the temperature profile is steep and they are damped in other regions. The increasing destabilization that is observed with increased laser power is probably the reason for difficulty in obtaining converged mean flow solutions at high laser intensities.
Merkle, C. L.↗
Populating excited states of incoherent atoms using coherent light.
Study of the influence of various experimental parameters on the interaction between a multimode high-intensity laser light and the absorbing atoms of an atomic gas. Using a simplified treatment of line broadening which does not include correlations between momentum-changing collisions and pressure-broadening collisions, expressions are obtained that show the effect of pressure, laser-pulse length, and intensity on the excitation. It is found that, as long as the dephasing time of the atomic system is sufficiently short, the interaction reduces to a two-body collision between the atoms and photons, where coherence effects do not occur.
Mcilrath, T. J.↗