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At least 127 records · Page 7
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2014

Opals: Mission System Operations Architecture for an Optical Communications Demonstration on the ISS

In April of 2014, the Optical PAyload for Lasercomm Science (OPALS) Flight System (FS) launched to the International Space Station (ISS) to demonstrate space-to-ground optical communications. During a planned 90-day baseline mission, the OPALS FS will downlink high quality, short duration videos to the Optical Communications Telescope Laboratory (OCTL) ground station in Wrightwood, California. Interfaces to the ISS payload operations infrastructure have been established to facilitate activity planning, hazardous laser operations, commanding, and telemetry transmission. In addition, internal processes, such as pointing prediction and data processing, satisfy the technical requirements of the mission. The OPALS operations team participates in Operational Readiness Tests (ORTs) with external partners to exercise coordination processes and train for the overall mission. The ORTs have provided valuable insight into operational considerations for the instrument on the ISS.

Technology Demonstration↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

TPSAS-NF1676L-11931-DND

Researchers at NASA Langley Research Center have developed an efficient, high repetition rate, pulsed, 2-µm coherent DIAL/IPDA transmitter for CO2 measurements. This transmitter will be employed to measure atmospheric CO2 profiles (by DIAL) initially from a ground platform, and then measure both the atmospheric CO2 profiles (by DIAL) and column densities (by IPDA) from an airborne platform with the potential for measuring CO2 column density from a space-borne platform. The transmitter consists of a pulsed Q-switched ring-cavity Ho:YLF laser operating at 2.05 micron, being pumped by a Tm:fiber laser. The repetition rate can be adjusted from a few hundred Hz to 10 kHz with corresponding energy of 25 to 1 mJ, respectively. This transmitter can be used for direct or coherent detection of CO2 from ground, air or space-borne platform, as it is capable of providing required energy/repetition rate even from space platform. This presentation will describe the details of the injection-seeded highrepetition rate 2-micron transmitter and demonstrate its flexibility for direct or coherent detection of CO2.

Upendra N Singh↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

On the Use of Liquid Nitrogen Droplets as Flow Tracers in Cryogenic Flow Facilities at NASA Langley Research Center

The injection of liquid nitrogen droplets to cool the gas temperature in cryogenic wind tunnels is discussed as a method of natural seeding for velocimetry-focused, particle-based, laser diagnostics. Historical observations and issues with seeding are presented for both ground-test facilities of interest in this work at NASA Langley: the 0.3-m Transonic Cryogenic Wind Tunnel (TCT) and the National Transonic Facility (NTF). Recent observations of natural seeding with a Rayleigh scattering instrument are presented in the two facilities, which motivated the purposeful use of a pulse-burst laser system to observe the particles directly with a sequentially operated laser sheet for the first time. Time-resolved image sequences of unevaporated liquid nitrogen droplets were readily acquired for tunnel total temperatures of 200 K and below. The preliminary results promote a discussion on the fitness of these natural particles as flow tracers for either a particle image velocimetry or a particle tracking velocimetry instrument in these high-Reynolds-number facilities.

cryogenic wind tunnels↗
NASA NTRS2019

Laser Rayleigh Scattering for Flow Density and Condensation Measurements in the Supercooled Mach-14 Free-Stream at AEDC Wind Tunnel No. 9

Laser Rayleigh scattering was used to investigate clusters in the free-stream flow at Arnold Engineering Development Center’s Tunnel 9 (T9). The facility was run at Mach-14, with a pure-N2 flow medium, and at several total pressures and temperatures. Using an excimer laser operating at 248 nm, the Rayleigh instrument imaged scattering from the focused laser beam in the free-stream. As a wind-tunnel flow is accelerated, it cools and approaches the condensation boundary. As a precursor to condensation, small clusters of molecules are first formed, but the individual clusters are too small to be spatially resolved in typical images of the beam. Thus clusters effectively add a spatially smooth background signal to the pure diatomic-molecule Rayleigh signal. The main result of the present work is that clustering was not significant. After correcting for interference by small particles imbedded in the T9 flow, cluster scattering was unobservable or smaller than one standard deviation (1-sigma) of the uncertainties for almost all tunnel runs. The total light scattering level was measured to be 1.05 +/- 0.15 (1-sigma) of the expected diatomic scattering, when averaged over the entire usable data set. This result included flow conditions that were supercooled to temperatures of ~ 20 K, about 25 K below the condensation limit of ~ 45 K. Thus the Mach-14 nozzle flow is essentially cluster-free for many supercooled conditions that might be used to extend the facility operating range to larger Reynolds numbers.

Herring, Gregory C.↗
NASA NTRS1978

New candidate lasers for power beaming and discussion of their applications

Solar power has obvious advantages for long-duration high-power laser operations in space, provided that cost effective conversion of solar photons to laser photons can be accomplished. Both the CO baseline system and the iodine direct-pumped system described in the present paper imply total system weights of 50 to 150 thousand kilograms per 100 MW of power transmitted. To equal the contemplated 5 to 10 GW of each microwave-linked space power system now being studied would require 50 to 100 STAG-type devices having total weights in orbit in the range of (2.5 to 15.0) by 10 to the sixth kilograms. The analysis indicates that laser options can be from 2 to 20 times more favorable weight-wise than other space power system options. The cost advantages would scale similarly.

Rather, J. D. G.↗
NASA NTRS1987

A theoretical study of photovoltaic converters

The final phase of research was performed in the model simulation for the solar simulator pumped atomic iodine laser. The geometry for the steady state laser operation with axial lasant flow is illustrated. The chemical kinetics for this laser are described.

Heinbockel, John H.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Status of 2 micron laser technology program

The status of 2 micron lasers for windshear detection is described in viewgraph form Theoretical atmospheric and instrument system studies have demonstrated that the 2.1 micron Ho:YAG lasers can effectively measure wind speeds in both wet and dry conditions with accuracies of 1 m/sec. Two micron laser technology looks very promising in the near future, but several technical questions remain. The Ho:YAG laser would be small, compact, and efficient, requiring little or no maintenance. Since the Ho:YAG laser is laser diode pumped and has no moving part, the lifetime of this laser would be directly related to the diode laser lifetimes which can perform in excess of 10,000 hours. Efficiencies of 3 to 12 percent are expected, but laser demonstrations confirming the ability to Q-switch this laser are required. Coherent laser operation has been demonstrated for both the CW and Q-switched lasers.

Storm, Mark↗
NASA NTRS1993

Solid state laser

A wavelength-tunable, injection-seeded, dispersion-compensated, dispersively-pumped solid state laser includes a lasing medium; a highly reflective mirror; an output coupler; at least one isosceles Brewster prism oriented to the minimum deviation angle between the medium and the mirror for directing light of different wavelengths along different paths; means for varying the angle of the highly reflective mirror relative to the light from at least one Brewster angle for selecting a predetermined laser operating wavelength; a dispersion compensation apparatus associated with the lasing medium; a laser injection seeding port disposed between the dispersion compensation apparatus and one of the mirror and coupler and including a reflective surface at an acute non-Brewster angle to the laser beam for introducing a seed input; a dispersion compensation apparatus associated with the laser medium including opposite chirality optical elements; the lasing medium including a pump surface disposed at an acute angle to the laser beam to define a discrete path for the pumping laser beam separate from the pumped laser beam.

Rines, Glen A.↗
NASA NTRS2015

System, Apparatus and Method Employing a Dual Head Laser

A system, apparatus and method employing a laser with a split-head, V-assembly gain material configuration. Additionally, the present invention is directed to techniques to better dissipate or remove unwanted energies in laser operations. The present invention is also directed to techniques for better collimated laser beams, with single spatial mode quality (TEM00), with improved efficiency, in extreme environments, such as in outer space.

Coyle, Donald B.↗
NASA NTRS2014

OPALS: Mission System Operations Architecture for an Optical Communications Demonstration on the ISS

In spring 2014, the Optical PAyload for Lasercomm Science (OPALS) will launch to the International Space Station (ISS) to demonstrate space-to-ground optical communications. During a 90-day baseline mission, OPALS will downlink high quality, short duration videos to the Optical Communications Telescope Laboratory (OCTL) in Wrightwood, California. To achieve mission success, interfaces to the ISS payload operations infrastructure are established. For OPALS, the interfaces facilitate activity planning, hazardous laser operations, commanding, and telemetry transmission. In addition, internal processes such as pointing prediction and data processing satisfy the technical requirements of the mission. The OPALS operations team participates in Operational Readiness Tests (ORTs) with external partners to exercise coordination processes and train for the overall mission. The tests have provided valuable insight into operational considerations on the ISS.

Abrahamson, Matthew J.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Long wavelength PbSnTe lasers with CW operation above 77 K

Lead tin telluride diode lasers with emission wavelengths of 6 to 9 micrometers easily operate continuously at temperatures above 77K. These lasers have the Pb(1-y) Sn(y) TE/Pb(1-y) Te/Pb(1-y) Sn(y) Te/PbTe (substrate), (x y) double heterostructure. To prepare this structure by LPE, the growth temperature must be below 600 C to suppress diffusion of the tin during the epitaxial growth. When the heterojunctions are formed by the usual LPE method, the junction boundaries become irregular in the case for the lasers with wavelengths of over 10 micrometers at 77K. The mechanism by which the heterojunction boundaries become irregular is cleared and a new LPE method which prevents the irregularity is explained. The lasers prepared from the wafers grown by the new method have demonstrated CW operation at wavelengths longer than 10 micrometers above liquid nitrogen temperature.

Shinohara, K.↗
NASA NTRS2006

Deep-UV Based Acousto-Optic Tunable Filter for Spectral Sensing Applications

In this paper, recent progress made in the development of quartz and KDP crystal based acousto-optic tunable filters (AOTF) are presented. These AOTFs are developed for operation over deep-UV to near-UV wavelengths of 190 nm to 400 nm. Preliminary output performance measurements of quartz AOTF and design specifications of KDP AOTF are presented. At 355 nm, the quartz AOTF device offered approx.15% diffraction efficiency with a passband full-width-half-maximum (FWHM) of less than 0.0625 nm. Further characterization of quartz AOTF devices at deep-UV wavelengths is progressing. The hermetic packaging of KDP AOTF is nearing completion. The solid-state optical sources being used for excitation include nonlinear optics based high-energy tunable UV transmitters that operate around 320 nm and 308 nm wavelengths, and a tunable deep-UV laser operating over 193 nm to 210 nm. These AOTF devices have been developed as turn-key devices for primarily for space-based chemical and biological sensing applications using laser induced Fluorescence and resonance Raman techniques.

Prasad, Narasimha S.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Pulsed injection control of a titanium-doped sapphire laser

Injection control of a tunable Ti:sapphire laser using a narrow-bandwidth pulsed dye laser operating at a wavelength removed from the peak of the Ti:sapphire-laser gain curve is reported. The free-running Ti:sapphire laser had broadband laser emission from 750 to 790 nm. Injection at 727 nm resulted in essentially complete energy extraction at that wavelength in a 2.5-pm bandwidth matching the injection source.

Brockman, Philip↗
NASA NTRS1999

Transverse Mode Dynamics of VCSELs Through Space-Time Domain Simulation

Modeling and simulation are important to understand laser operation and to optimize and design device functions. Numerical simulation of VCSEL (Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Lasers) has been largely based on solving time-independent Helmholtz equation or time dependent coupled mode equations. There are various advantages for choosing these approaches. However, the disadvantages are also apparent. The former cannot handle dynamical mode competition seen in VCSELs, while the latter assumes a given type and number of modes a priori. Furthermore, the microscopic physics of heterstructures and electron-hole plasma is very often represented by a few parameters such as linear gain coefficients and the linewidth enhancement factor. These are over simplification of space and frequency (wavelength) dependent gain and refractive index functions. When the space-time dynamical operation of VCSELs becomes important, these simple approximations become questionable. In this paper, we apply a recently developed model for edge-emitting lasers to a gain guided VCSEL for space-time domain simulation. This model takes into account the actual nonlinear dependence of gain and refractive index on frequency and carrier density within the frame work of the effective Bloch equations. The corresponding partial differential equations are solved directly by finite difference methods. Laser behavior with increasing pumping current is investigated in detail. Special attention is paid to the dynamical competition of the transverse modes.

Goorjian, Peter M.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Pulsed mononode dye laser developed for a geophysical application

Following the extension of the lidar technique in the study of the atmosphere, the necessity of having a high power pulsed laser beam with a narrowed bandwidth and the possibility of selecting a particular wavelength within a certain spectral region arises. With the collaboration of others, a laser cavity using the multiwave Fizeau wedge (MWFW) was developed. Using the classical method of beam amplification with the aid of different stages, a new pulsed dye laser device was designed. The originality resides in the use of reflecting properties of the MFWF. Locally a plan wave coming with a particular angular incidence is reflected with a greater than unity coefficient; this is the consequence of the wedge angle which doubles the participation of every ray in the interferometric process. This dye laser operation and advantages are discussed. The feasibility of different geophysical applications envisageable with this laser is discussed.

Jegou, J. P.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Comparison of Nd 1.06 and 1.33 micron operation in various hosts

Performances of Nd in various hosts including Nd:YAG, Nd:YLF, Nd:BEL, and Nd:Cr:GSGG were characterized and compared for operation on the nominal 1.06 micron and 1.33 micron transitions. Comparison included continuous mode operation, normal mode operation, Q-switched operation, and gain measurements. Continuous lasing of Nd:Cr:GSGG under lamp pumping is reported for what may be the first time. Characterization included operation with different mirror reflectivities to obtain the internal losses, measurement of the upper laser level lifetime, measurement of the beam quality of the lasers operating under nominally similar circumstances, and measurement of the wavelength. These measurements should provide a comparison of the various Nd hosts under similar circumstances for a wide variety of operational modes and at both wavelengths of interest.

Barnes, Norman P.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Raman shifting of KrF laser radiation for tropospheric ozone measurements

The differential absorption lidar (DIAL) measurement of tropospheric ozone requires use of high average power UV lasers operating at two appropriate DIAL wavelengths. Laboratory experiments have demonstrated that a KrF excimer laser can be used to generate several wavelengths with good energy conversion efficiencies by stimulated Raman shifting using hydrogen (H2) and deuterium (D2). Computer simulations for an airborne lidar have shown that these laser emissions can be used for the less than 5 percent random error, high resolution measuremment of ozone across the troposphere using the DIAL technique. In the region of strong ozone absorption, laser wavelengths of 277.0 and 291.7 nm were generated using H2 and D2, respectively. In addition, a laser wavelength at 302.0 nm was generated using two cells in series, with the first containing D2 and the second containing H2. The energy conversion efficiency for each wavelength was between 14 and 27 percent.

Grant, William B.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Linewidth measurements of tunable diode lasers using heterodyne and etalon techniques

Measurements of the linewidths of Pb-salt diode lasers operating in the 8- and 9-micron region are reported. The linewidths of the 9-micron lasers were determined by conventional heterodyne techniques, while for the 8-micron lasers a new technique based on a Fabry-Perot etalon was used. The new technique avoids the complexity and limited wavelength range of the heterodyne measurements and can be used for any tunable laser. The linewidths observed varied from 0.6 to more than 500-MHz FWHM. The linewidth was found to vary dramatically from device to device, to depend strongly on junction temperature and injection current, and to be correlated with vibrations caused by operation of a closed-cycle refrigerator.

Reid, J.↗