High resolution portable holocamera
High resolution portable hologram recording camera with pulsed ruby laser light source and rechargeable storage batteries as self contained power supply
Close, D. H.↗
SEARCH · Engineering Papers
Results for “lasers sources”
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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Transmission of optical frequencies with minimal losses
Application of diffractionless dielectrics as transmitting media between laser beam source and receiver is discussed. Optical properties of transmitting media are described and general system diagram is illustrated. Use of system in power transmission, communications, surgery, and machinery is explained.
Townes, C. H.↗
A dynamic polariscope for stress wave analysis.
A polariscope for the study of the propagation of stress waves in birefringent sheets is described. Sensitive, fast-responding photomultiplier tubes, a laser light source, and a multiple channel oscilloscope were used for the simultaneous recording of the stress-optic data at several points of the target following impact. A method of separation of stresses and the computation of displacement, strain, and stress is given.
Kinslow, R.↗
Investigation of laser dynamics, modulation and control by means of intra-cavity time varying perturbation
The generation of tunable visible, infrared, and ultraviolet light is examined, along with the control of this light by means of novel mode-locking and modulation techniques. Transient mode-locking of the Nd:YAG laser and generation of short tunable pulses in the visible and the alkali metal inert gas excimer laser systems were investigated. Techniques for frequency conversion of high power and high energy laser radiation are discussed, along with high average power blue and UV laser light sources.
Harris, S. E.↗
Investigation of light scattering as a technique for detecting discrete soot particles in a luminous flame
The practicability of using a classical light-scattering technique, involving comparison of angular scattering intensity patterns with theoretically determined Mie and Rayleight patterns, to detect discrete soot particles (diameter less than 50 nm) in premixed propane/air and propane/oxygen-helium flames is considered. The experimental apparatus employed in this investigation included a laser light source, a flat-flame burner, specially coated optics, a cooled photomultiplier detector, and a lock-in voltmeter readout. Although large, agglomerated soot particles were detected and sized, it was not possible to detect small, discrete particles. The limiting factor appears to be background scattering by the system's optics.
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Measurement of the specific refractivities of CF4 and C2F6
In order to relate the measured fringe shift of an interferometer to the density of a medium, the relation between density and refractive index, which is expressed by the specific refractivity, must be known. In the present paper, the specific refractivities of the wind tunnel test gases CF4 and C2F6 are determined in order to verify estimations based on the atomic refractivities of carbon and fluorine. A Twyman-Green two-beam interferometer with a 633-nm He-Ne laser light source was used to measure the specific refractivity as a function of fringe shift as the density of the gas was changed. Values of 0.122 and 0.131 cu cm/g were obtained for CF4 and C2F6 respectively at a temperature of 300 K, which are within 1% of the values computed from the atomic refractivities.
Burner, A. W.↗
Optical fiber dispersion characterization study
The theory, design, and results of optical fiber pulse dispersion measurements are considered. Both the hardware and software required to perform this type of measurement are described. Hardware includes a thermoelectrically cooled injection laser diode source, an 800 GHz gain bandwidth produce avalanche photodiode and an input mode scrambler. Software for a HP 9825 computer includes fast Fourier transform, inverse Fourier transform, and optimal compensation deconvolution. Test set construction details are also included. Test results include data collected on a 1 Km fiber, a 4 Km fiber, a fused spliced, eight 600 meter length fibers concatenated to form 4.8 Km, and up to nine optical connectors.
Geeslin, A.↗
Extracts from the test plan for in-flight evaluation of the NT-33A peripheral vision display
The Peripheral Vision Display (PVD) which presents the pilot with a gyro stabilized artificial horizon projected onto his instrument panel by a laser light source is outlined. During instrument flight conditions, such a display allows the pilot to gain attitude awareness by sensing the horizon line through his peripheral vision. The pilot can detect changes to aircraft attitude without continuously referring back to his flight instruments. A second generation PVD unit was installed in the USAF/Calspan NT-33A during late 1982. An NT-33A flight evaluation of the display provides a unique opportunity to utilize a Workload Assessment Device (WAD) to obtain quantitative data regarding the utility of the PVD in reducing pilot workload. The experimental design and procedures for a two phase NT-33 PVD flight evaluation program is described.
Knotts, L.↗
Spacecraft system study: A study to define the impact of laser communication systems on their host spacecraft
The mutual influence of a laser communication system and its host spacecraft and the degree to which the mutual influence limited acquisition, tracking and pointing processes were investigated. A laser klink between a low earth orbiting (LEO) satellite and a geosynchronous earth orbiting (GEO) satellite was used as a baseline. The laser link between satellites was a generic channel transferring 500 Mbps data from the LEO to GEO using the GaAlAs laser as the laser light source. Major aspects of pointing and tracking with a satelliteborne optical system were evaluated including: (1) orbital aspects such as spacecraft relative motions, point ahead, and Sun snd Moon optical noise; (2) burst errors introduced by the electronic and optical noise levels; (3) servo system design and configurations, and the noise sources such as, sensor noise, base motion disturbances, gimbal friction torque noise; (4) an evaluation of the tracking and beacon link and the type of sensors used; (5) the function of the acquisition procedure and an evaluation of the sensors employed; and (6) an estimate of the size, weight and power needed for the satellite system.
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Role of scattering distribution functions in spacecraft contamination control practices
A method for spacecraft optical surface contamination monitoring based on the bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) and the bidirectional transmittance distribution function (BTDF) is described. In the experimental set up, BRDF/BTDF measurements were made at 0.6328 microns using a 35-mW He-Ne laser light source. A correlation of the second order between BRDF and cleanliness levels was observed. It is suggested that bidirectional scattering distribution functions measured on witness mirrors can give information about contamination in clean rooms or vacuum chambers, and that they can be adopted to establish contamination control criteria.
Carosso, P. A.↗
Tunable diode laser Stark modulation spectroscopy for rotational assignment of the HNO3 7.5-micron band
The technique of Stark modulation spectroscopy for unraveling and assigning rotationally resolved dense molecular spectra has been employed using a tunable diode laser (TDL) source. Doppler-limited absorption and Stark modulation spectra of the HNO3 7.5-micron band near the 1326/cm band origin are presented with preliminary values of the excited-state rovibrational constants derived from both TDL and Bomem Fourier transform IR spectra.
Webster, C. R.↗
Spectrogoniometer for measuring planetary surface materials at small phase angles
This paper describes an instrument, termed spectrogoniometer, which was designed to measure the bidirectional reflectance properties of planetary surface analogs at very small phase angles. By using a pellicle beam splitter, a highly collimated laser light source, and a carefully aligned apparatus it was possible to measure the reflectance properties of geologic samples under any viewing geometry: the angles of incidence and emission ranging from 0 to 90 deg, and the azimuthal angle ranging from 0 to 360 deg. The results on the effect of porosity are demonstrated by comparing measurements on a compact sample (with a void space of 25 percent) and a fluffy sample (with a void space of 90 percent). The fluffy sample exhibited a 30-percent increase in intensity between 10 and 0 deg, whereas the compact sample exhibited only a 20-percent increase.
Buratti, Bonnie J.↗
Aeroacoustics of advanced STOVL aircraft plumes
This paper summarizes a basic and well-controlled experimental study involving flow visualization and noise measurements to define the acoustic and flow fields of single plumes impinging on a simulated ground plane. The flow visualization was made by strobing a laser light source at the discrete frequencies generated by the impingement of the jets and measured by a nearfield microphone. This enabled visualization of instability waves generated by the interaction between the plumes and the sound generated during impingement, and also by dynamic coupling between the two plumes. These data were acquired as a function of distance between the ground and the nozzle exit. Nearfield acoustic data were acquired simultaneously. Data for nozzle diameters of 0.265 in. and 0.4 in. are described. For selected nozzles, effects of exit boundary layer characteristics and nozzle protrusion through a simulated aircraft body are also presented.
Ahuja, K. K.↗
Experiments on optical discharges in hydrogen
The rudiments of a rocket thruster that receives its enthalpy from a remote energy source, a laser, are described. An experimental study is discussed that provides details of the physics for assessing the feasibility of using hydrogen plasmas for accepting and converting this energy to enthalpy. A plasma ignition scheme that uses a pulsed CO2 laser has been developed and the properties of the ignition spark documented, including breakdown intensities in hydrogen. A complete diagnostic system, capable of determining plasma temperature and the plasma absorptivity for subsequent steady-state absorption of a high-power CO2 laser beam, is developed and demonstrative use is discussed for the preliminary case study, a 2 atm laser-supported argon plasma.
Mccay, T. D.↗
Solid propellant combustion response to oscillatory radiant heat flux
A progress report is given on a research project to use the microwave Doppler velocimeter technique to measure the combustion response to an oscillating thermal radiation source (CO2 laser). The test technique and supporting analyses are described, and the results are presented for an initial test series on the nonmetallized, composite propellant, Naval Weapons Center formulation A-13. It is concluded that in-depth transmission of radiant heat flux is not a factor at the CO2 laser wave length.
Strand, L. D.↗
Development of mid-infrared solid state lasers for spaceborne lidar
Laser performance of Ho(3+):Tm(3+):Cr(3+):YAG crystals was investigated under both Cr:GSAG laser and flashlamp pumping. A flashlamp pumped Cr:GSAG laser was built to simulate high power quasi-CW laser diode pumping of a 2.1 micrometer holmium laser. The 2.1 micrometer output laser energy exceeded more than 14 mJ, the highest value reported to date under laser pumping near 785 nm. This was obtained in a pulse length of nearly 650 microsec from a 3 x 3 mm Ho:Tm:Cr:YAG rod by using the flashlamp-pumped Cr:CSAG laser as a pumping source at the diode laser wavelength, 785 micrometers. In addition, Ho:Tm:Cr:YAG crystals with various Tm(3+) concentrations were evaluated for flashlamp-pumped normal mode and Q-switched 2.1 micrometer laser operations under a wide variety of experimental conditions in order to understand internal dynamic processes among the ions and to determine an optimum lasing condition. An increase of the laser slope efficiency was observed with the increase of the Tm(3+) concentration from 2.5 to 4.5 atomic percent. The thermal dependence of the laser performance was also investigated. Q-switched laser output energies corresponding to nearly 100 percent of the normal-mode laser energies were obtained in a strong single spike of 200 ns pulse length by optimizing the opening time of a lithium niobate Q-switch.
Whitney, Donald A.↗
Laser light scattering review
Since the development of laser light sources and fast digital electronics for signal processing, the classical discipline of light scattering on liquid systems experienced a strong revival plus an enormous expansion, mainly due to new dynamic light scattering techniques. While a large number of liquid systems can be investigated, ranging from pure liquids to multicomponent microemulsions, this review is largely restricted to applications on Brownian particles, typically in the submicron range. Static light scattering, the careful recording of the angular dependence of scattered light, is a valuable tool for the analysis of particle size and shape, or of their spatial ordering due to mutual interactions. Dynamic techniques, most notably photon correlation spectroscopy, give direct access to particle motion. This may be Brownian motion, which allows the determination of particle size, or some collective motion, e.g., electrophoresis, which yields particle mobility data. Suitable optical systems as well as the necessary data processing schemes are presented in some detail. Special attention is devoted to topics of current interest, like correlation over very large lag time ranges or multiple scattering.
Schaetzel, Klaus↗
TiCl4 as a source of TiO2 particles for laser anemometry measurements in hot gas
A method of reacting TiCl4 with water saturated gaseous nitrogen (GN2) at the entrance into a high temperature gas flow is described. The TiO2 particles formed are then entrained in the gas flow and used as seed particles for making laser anemometry (LA) measurements of the flow velocity distribution in the hot gas. Scanning electron microscope photographs of the TiO2 particles are shown. Data rate of the LA processor was measured to determine the amount of TiO2 formed. The TiCl4 and mixing gas flow diagram is shown. This work was performed in an open jet burner.
Weikle, Donald H.↗