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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 433 records · Page 24

All sources NASA NTRS DOE OSTI

NASA NTRS1991

Coherent Doppler lidar for automated space vehicle, rendezvous, station-keeping and capture

Recent advances in eye-safe, short wavelength solid-state lasers offer real potential for the development of compact, reliable, light-weight, efficient coherent lidar. Laser diode pumping of these devices has been demonstrated, thereby eliminating the need for flash lamp pumping, which has been a major drawback to the use of these lasers in space based applications. Also these lasers now have the frequency stability required to make them useful in coherent lidar, which offers all of the advantages of non-coherent lidar, but with the additional advantage that direct determination of target velocity is possible by measurement of the Doppler shift. By combining the Doppler velocity measurement capability with the inherent high angular resolution and range accuracy of lidar it is possible to construct Doppler images of targets for target motion assessment. A coherent lidar based on a Tm,Ho:YAG 2-micrometer wavelength laser was constructed and successfully field tested on atmospheric targets in 1990. This lidar incorporated an all solid state (laser diode pumped) master oscillator, in conjunction with a flash lamp pumped slave oscillator. Solid-state laser technology is rapidly advancing, and with the advent of high efficiency, high power, semiconductor laser diodes as pump sources, all-solid-state, coherent lidars are a real possibility in the near future. MSFC currently has a feasibility demonstration effort under way which will involve component testing, and preliminary design of an all-solid-state, coherent lidar for automatic rendezvous, and capture. This two year effort, funded by the Director's Discretionary Fund is due for completion in 1992.

Dunkin, James A.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Space power by ground-based laser transmission

A new method for providing power to space vehicles consists of using high-power CW lasers on the ground to beam power to photovoltaic receivers in space. Such large lasers could be located at cloud-free sites at one or more ground locations, and use large mirrors with adaptive optical correction to reduce the beam spread due to diffraction or atmospheric turbulence. This can result in lower requirements for battery storage, due to continuous illumination of arrays even during periods of shadow by the earth, and higher power output, due to the higher efficiency of photovoltaic arrays under laser illumination compared to solar and the ability to achieve higher intensities of illumination. Applications include providing power for satellites during eclipse, providing power to resurrect satellites which are failing due to solar array degradation, powering orbital transfer vehicles or lunar transfer shuttles, and providing night power to a solar array on the moon.

Landis, Geoffrey A.↗

DOE OSTI2024

Nonlinear refraction and absorption properties of optical materials for high-peak-power long-wave-infrared lasers

Optical materials transparent in the CO 2 laser wavelength range have been evaluated regarding their suitability for components in ultrashort-pulse (≤ a few ps), high-peak-power (≥ a few TW) long-wave infrared (LWIR) lasers. We provide values for the nonlinear refractive index ( n 2 ) for seventeen materials, and onsets for nonlinear absorption for eleven materials. Characterizations were performed using a 2 ps laser pulse at λ =9.2 μ m. This paper methodically presents the newly acquired data in conjunction with existing literature on linear optical properties, establishing it as a comprehensive reference for designing high-peak-power LWIR laser systems.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

NASA NTRS2013

High-Power Single-Mode 2.65-micron InGaAsSb/AlInGaAsSb Diode Lasers

Central to the advancement of both satellite and in-situ science are improvements in continuous-wave and pulsed infrared laser systems coupled with integrated miniaturized optics and electronics, allowing for the use of powerful, single-mode light sources aboard both satellite and unmanned aerial vehicle platforms. There is a technological gap in supplying adequate laser sources to address the mid-infrared spectral window for spectroscopic characterization of important atmospheric gases. For high-power applications between 2 to 3 micron, commercial laser technologies are unsuitable because of limitations in output power. For instance, existing InP-based laser systems developed for fiber-based telecommunications cannot be extended to wavelengths longer than 2 micron. For emission wavelengths shorter than 3 micron, intersubband devices, such as infrared quantum cascade lasers, become inefficient due to band-offset limitations. To date, successfully demonstrated singlemode GaSb-based laser diodes emitting between 2 and 3 micron have employed lossy metal Bragg gratings for distributed- feedback coupling, which limits output power due to optical absorption. By optimizing both the quantum well design and the grating fabrication process, index-coupled distributed-feedback 2.65-micron lasers capable of emitting in excess of 25 mW at room temperature have been demonstrated. Specifically, lasers at 3,777/cm (2.65 micron) have been realized to interact with strong absorption lines of HDO and other isotopologues of H2O. With minor modifications of the optical cavity and quantum well designs, lasers can be fabricated at any wavelength within the 2-to-3-micron spectral window with similar performance. At the time of this reporting, lasers with this output power and wavelength accuracy are not commercially available. Monolithic ridge-waveguide GaSb lasers were fabricated that utilize secondorder lateral Bragg gratings to generate single-mode emission from InGaAsSb/ AlInGaAsSb multi-quantum well structures. The device fabrication utilizes etched index-coupled gratings in the top AlGaAsSb cladding of the laser chip along the ridge waveguide, whereas commercial lasers that emit close to this wavelength include loss-coupled metal gratings that limit the output power of the laser. Semiconductor-laser-based spectrometers can be used to replace gas sensors currently used in industry and government. With the availability of high-power laser sources at mid-infrared wavelengths, sensors can target strong fundamental gas absorption lines to maximize instrument sensitivity.

Frez, Clifford F.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Injection Phase-Locked Laser-Diode Array

Phase-coherent emission with negligible far-field supermodes produced by proposed surface-emitting laser-diode array stimulated by holographically directed emission from single master diode. To achieve same coherence and output power, single laser diode requires high power density, which substantially reduces working lifetime. Proposed integrated optical array useful in communications

Lesh, James R.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Approximate Analysis of Semiconductor Laser Arrays

Simplified equation yields useful information on gains and output patterns. Theoretical method based on approximate waveguide equation enables prediction of lateral modes of gain-guided planar array of parallel semiconductor lasers. Equation for entire array solved directly using piecewise approximation of index of refraction by simple functions without customary approximation based on coupled waveguid modes of individual lasers. Improved results yield better understanding of laser-array modes and help in development of well-behaved high-power semiconductor laser arrays.

Marshall, William K.↗

NASA NTRS1998

Far Ultraviolet Refractive Index of Optical Materials for Solar Blind Channel (SBC) Filters for HST Advanced Camera for Surveys

Refractive index measurements using the minimum deviation method have been carried out for prisms of a variety of far ultraviolet optical materials used in the manufacture of Solar Blind Channel (SBC) filters for the HST Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS). Some of the materials measured are gaining popularity in a variety of high technology applications including high power excimer lasers and advanced microlithography optics operating in a wavelength region where high quality knowledge of optical material properties is sparse. Our measurements are of unusually high accuracy and precision for this wavelength region owing to advanced instrumentation in the large vacuum chamber of the Diffraction Grating Evaluation Facility (DGEF) at Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). Index values for CaF2, BaF2, LiF, and far ultraviolet grades of synthetic sapphire and synthetic fused silica are reported and compared with values from the literature.

Leviton, Douglas B.↗

DOE OSTI2020

Thermomechanical response of thickly tamped targets and diamond anvil cells under pulsed hard x-ray irradiation

In the laboratory study of extreme conditions of temperature and density, the exposure of matter to high intensity radiation sources has been of central importance. Here, we interrogate the performance of multi-layered targets in experiments involving high intensity, hard x-ray irradiation, motivated by the advent of extremely high brightness hard x-ray sources, such as free electron lasers and 4th-generation synchrotron facilities. Intense hard x-ray beams can deliver significant energy in targets having thick x-ray transparent layers (tampers) around samples of interest for the study of novel states of matter and materials’ dynamics. Heated-state lifetimes in such targets can approach the microsecond level, regardless of radiation pulse duration, enabling the exploration of conditions of local thermal and thermodynamic equilibrium at extreme temperature in solid density matter. The thermal and mechanical responses of such thick layered targets following x-ray heating, including hydrodynamic relaxation and heat flow on picosecond to millisecond timescales, are modeled using radiation hydrocode simulation, finite element analysis, and thermodynamic calculations. Assessing the potential for target survival over one or more exposures and resistance to damage arising from heating and resulting mechanical stresses, this study doubles as an investigation into the performance of diamond anvil high pressure cells under high x-ray fluences. Long used in conjunction with synchrotron x-ray radiation and high power optical lasers, the strong confinement afforded by such cells suggests novel applications at emerging high intensity x-ray facilities and new routes to studying thermodynamic equilibrium states of warm, very dense matter.

Meza-Galvez, J. (ORCID:000000032699849X)↗

NASA NTRS2018

Triggering TR in Li-ion Cells with Laser Radiation

Final Paper, not the Abstract, is attached. Johnson Space Center has been experimenting with various methods of igniting Li-ion cells into thermal runaway (TR). Recently, it was demonstrated that using a high power IR laser, an Li-ion cell can be successfully triggered into TR without perforating its can wall. This method creates a zone of highly localized heat energy that transfers through the can wall and melts nearby layers of the cell separator. Using this method, we are able to trigger various cell designs into a TR response. With unique test conditions, we've been able trigger TR in an elliptical cylindrical cell design without perforating its aluminum can. The method holds promise as an effective single cell TR trigger method in battery assemblies with minimal thermal biasing to adjacent cells.

Li-ion↗

DOE OSTI2020

Laser-Produced Coherent X-ray Sources. Final report

This is the final report for the DOE-AMO DE-FG02-05ER15663 grant. Using a high-peak-power laser system at the Extreme Light Laboratory of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, we develop novel femtosecond radiation sources and use them to investigate ultrafast photo-induced processes. Pulses of high energy electrons and x-rays are generated when an optical pulse is focused to ultra-high intensity. The radiation is used to probe the evolution of matter under highly non-equilibrium conditions with atomic-scale temporal and spatial resolution. Moreover, the facility is small enough to fit in a university laboratory and is operated by graduate students and postdocs.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗

NASA NTRS1995

High efficiency solar cells for laser power beaming applications

Understanding solar cell response to pulsed laser outputs is important for the evaluation of power beaming applications. The time response of high efficiency GaAs and silicon solar cells to a 25 nS monochromatic pulse input is described. The PC-1D computer code is used to analyze the cell current during and after the pulse for various conditions.

Jain, Raj K.↗

DOE OSTI2022

Keyhole-mode Microscopy Dataset for Laser Powder-bed Fusion Modeling

Laser powder-bed fusion (LPBF) is an additive manufacturing (AM) technology that uses high-power sintering lasers to precisely construct metal designs. Material is accumulated by selectively sintering regions of a metal powder layer to a growing structure underneath forming a 3D geometry. Certain conditions make fusion in this process to operate in "keyhole-mode," characterized by targeted materials evaporating as plasma. While keyhole-mode operations can produce deeper molten pools than that observed in "conduction-mode", this mode of operation is often undesirable, as its molten regions can collapse on themselves, encapsulating metal vapors and forming cavities. The formation of such cavities negatively affects strength and consistency of the fused materials. To identify and avoid these detrimental effects of keyhole-mode operation, considerable data collection and analysis regarding this mode of operation is needed. Therefore, under the support of the "Open Data Initiative," Lawrence Livermore National Lab is releasing a dataset for analysis of this keyhole effect, and the conditions which transition operation from conduction-mode to keyhole-mode melting. This dataset consists of 600+ micrographs from laser powder-bed single track runs, with differing cross-section angles and input parameters, operating under both normal and keyhole mode operations. This journal documents the collection, organization, and usage of this dataset.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2022

Intense infrared lasers for strong-field science

The advent of chirped-pulse amplification in the 1980s and femtosecond Ti:sapphire lasers in the 1990s enabled transformative advances in intense laser–matter interaction physics. Whereas most of experiments have been conducted in the limited near-infrared range of 0.8–1 μm, theories predict that many physical phenomena such as high harmonic generation in gases favor long laser wavelengths in terms of extending the high-energy cutoff. Significant progress has been made in developing few-cycle, carrier-envelope phase-stabilized, high-peak-power lasers in the 1.6–2 μm range that has laid the foundation for attosecond X ray sources in the water window. Even longer wavelength lasers are becoming available that are suitable to study light filamentation, high harmonic generation, and laser–plasma interaction in the relativistic regime. Long-wavelength lasers are suitable for sub-bandgap strong-field excitation of a wide range of solid materials, including semiconductors. In the strong-field limit, bulk crystals also produce high-order harmonics. In this review, we first introduce several important wavelength scaling laws in strong-field physics, then describe recent breakthroughs in short- (1.4–3 μm), mid- (3–8 μm), and long-wave (8–15 μm) infrared laser technology, and finally provide examples of strong-field applications of these novel lasers. Furthermore, some of the broadband ultrafast infrared lasers will have profound effects on medicine, environmental protection, and national defense, because their wavelengths cover the water absorption band, the molecular fingerprint region, as well as the atmospheric infrared transparent window.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

DOE OSTI2025

Laser powder bed fusion parameter estimation with k-NN

Abstract Laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) is a technique within additive manufacturing that uses a high power density laser to build parts from fused powdered metal alloy. This technology is well equipped to produce complex parts with otherwise impossible features, such as hidden voids or lattice structures. Alongside capability, reliability and quality are key characteristics considered when choosing a manufacturing method, and these are gaining attention as this method becomes more prevalent in industry. One main indicator of a stable L-PBF process is consistent melt pool geometry, and the properties of which are likely to determine the quality of the part produced. As computing power and sensing technologies become more advanced, this melt pool geometry could be studied in real time. This work addresses the challenge by leveraging a k-nearest neighbor (k-NN) model to identify key features within melt pool imagery and predict the energy density. The k-NN model was trained on data provided by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Data preprocessing was performed on the images to extract features that were used in the k-NN model. This approach was used to accurately infer the energy density of unseen layers within the same part. The algorithm was subsequently tested with unique scan strategies and found to reasonably estimate the energy density of different parts. A fivefold cross validation found the algorithm to be consistently predicting the class of 91.4% of the in situ melt pool images.

Jung, Patrick (ORCID:0000000267890859)↗

DOE OSTI2023

Engineered current-density profile diode laser

The present technology can be used to control the current injection profile in the longitudinal direction of a high-power diode laser in order to optimize current densities as a function of position in the cavity to promote higher reliable output power and increase the electrical to optical conversion efficiency of the device beyond the level which can be achieved without application of this technique. This approach can be utilized, e.g., in the fabrication of semiconductor laser chips to improve the output power and wall plug efficiency for applications requiring improved performance operation.

Leisher, Paul O.↗

DOE OSTI2024

Engineered current-density profile diode laser

Leisher, Paul O.↗

NASA NTRS2011

Monitoring Delamination of Thermal Barrier Coating During Interrupted High-Heat Flux Laser Testing Using Upconversion Luminescence Imaging

Upconversion luminescence imaging of thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) has been shown to successfully monitor TBC delamination progression during interrupted furnace cycling. However, furnace cycling does not adequately model engine conditions where TBC-coated components are subjected to significant heat fluxes that produce through-thickness temperature gradients that may alter both the rate and path of delamination progression. Therefore, new measurements are presented based on luminescence imaging of TBC-coated specimens subjected to interrupted high-heat-flux laser cycling exposures that much better simulate the thermal gradients present in engine conditions. The TBCs tested were deposited by electron-beam physical vapor deposition (EB-PVD) and were composed of 7wt% yttria-stabilized zirconia (7YSZ) with an integrated delamination sensing layer composed of 7YSZ co-doped with erbium and ytterbium (7YSZ:Er,Yb). The high-heat-flux exposures that produce the desired through-thickness thermal gradients were performed using a high power CO2 laser operating at a wavelength of 10.6 microns. Upconversion luminescence images revealed the debond progression produced by the cyclic high-heat-flux exposures and these results were compared to that observed for furnace cycling.

Eldridge, Jeffrey I.↗

DOE OSTI2024

Striated composite layers of silica and hafnia offering advantageous properties for short-pulse optical coatings

Monolayers containing subnanometer striations of silica and hafnia to form composite materials at varying ratios are explored as a method to develop high-index dielectric layers with increased laser-induced–damage thresholds (LIDTs). These layers can then be used in multilayer dielectric coatings for short-pulse, high-peak-power laser applications, particularly in regions of the highest electric-field intensity. Fabrication is achieved by means of exposure to two different evaporant vapor plumes, where local exposure to each plume is controlled via shielding to prevent simultaneous exposure. The LIDT of the resulting layers has been evaluated at 1053 nm with 600-fs pulses. The results indicate that such hafnia/silica layers exhibit LIDTs similar to silica for a refractive index of ≤1.65. These results suggest that the use of these layers in locations subjected to high electric-field intensity within multilayer dielectric coatings may significantly improve the LIDT, with this deposition process providing particular benefit for scaling to large-aperture, high-fluence components.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗