Aeronautical use of semiconductor lasers for short optical pulses

In this paper, we investigate the feasible schemes to generate periodic optical pulses of width between several picoseconds (ps) and tens ps. Gain-switched semiconductor laser diodes are shown to be more suitable for avionics applications than mode-locked laser diodes. In the experiment, we use a low-cost Fabry-Perot laser diode to generate short optical pulse streams. A simple optical injection-locking scheme is then used to reduce the timing jitter and frequency chirp in such laser diodes, which in turn can improve the transmission performance of the generated optical pulses. It is expected that the use of gain-switched semiconductor lasers can meet the requirement of high-speed airborne communication networks or ground supporting systems at airports. Moreover, we discuss the possibility of using the pulsed semiconductor lasers to generate millimetre-wave (mm-wave) signals for future applications to airborne high-resolution, mm-wave radars.     

Fiber lasers: A future technology for lasers in space

The constraints of operation in space have largely precluded the use of conventional solid-state laser systems for applications including remote sensing, communication relays, and active laser radars. A new technology, fiber lasers, may offer all of the needed features at an affordable price. An appealing aspect of the fiber laser is that it does not need a rigid optical bench. Only the output end of the fiber need be held in rigid reference to the optical tracking system. Design, fabrication, and testing of the laser resonator is generally the most expensive and longest lead part of the effort for conventional solid-state lasers. Advances in fiber optic technology and devices mean that the "fiber laser" need not be a simple device but may be a complex system employing sophisticated technology, such as wavelength selective Bragg reflectors and nonlinear optical frequency shifters. Three companies have obtained single-mode outputs of 35 - 40 watts single mode at 1.03 - 1.1 mu.     

Fiber lasers: a future space technology

The constraints of operation in space have largely precluded the use of conventional solid-state laser systems for applications including remote sensing, communication relays, and active laser radars. A new technology, fiber lasers, may offer all of the needed features at an affordable price. An appealing aspect of the fiber laser is that it does not need a rigid optical bench. Only the output end of the fiber need be held in rigid reference to the optical tracking system. Design, fabrication, and testing of the laser resonator is generally the most expensive and longest lead part of the effort for conventional solid-state lasers. Advances in Fiber Optic technology and devices mean that the "fiber laser" need not be a simple device but may be a complex system employing sophisticated technology such as wavelength selective Bragg reflectors and nonlinear optical frequency shifters. Three companies have recently obtained single-mode outputs of 3540 watts single mode at 1.03-1.1 microns.     

Surface emitting lasers for avionics applications

Vertical cavity surface emitting lasers offer many features that are suitable for applications in optical interconnect, optical data bus, optical backplane, and optical signal processing. The authors describe basic device structure and fabrication techniques of GaAs-based vertical cavity surface emitting lasers and discuss key laser performance characteristics such as emission wavelength, beam pattern, threshold current, power output, quantum efficiency, and modulation response that are important to these potential applications. Results on monolithic integration of the laser with an n-channel MESFET driver are described     

激光推进运载器大气飞行稳定性影响因素研究

针对环聚焦的Myrabo构型激光推进飞行器在大气中飞行现象,建立了激光推力器冲量模型,给出了光船飞行六自由度动力学模型。设计算法解决了脉冲力作用下,光船动力学方程的解算精度与效率折中问题;仿真分析了激光脉冲频率、脉冲能量和升力线斜率大小对光船运动稳定性影响。结果表明:在垂直方向,光船上升速度呈锯齿状,且存在脉冲频率下限;在侧向,激光脉冲频率越高,回复速度越快,回复曲线也越光滑,升力线斜率的增加能够使光船以更短的时间趋于稳定。     

Clutter Suppression Properties of Weighted Pulse Trains

A common but troublesome requirement on radar sensors is the detection of a target in the interference from undesired scatterers, or clutter. Systems with coherent processing of pulse trains are uniquely suited for the purpose because, with pulse trains, it is possible to concentrate the receiver output for particular values of Doppler and thus suppress the clutter by Doppler filtering. This paper discusses to what degree the effectiveness of the method can be enhanced by tapering, or weighting, of the pulse amplitudes. The general results are illustrated by computer-plotted response functions for weighted pulse trains. The clutter suppression efficiency of weighting is calculated both for unilateral weighting in the receiver and for bilateral weighting in both receiver and transmitter. The significance of additional phase weighting is discussed and the results for pure amplitude weighting are compared with publishedwork on phase and amplitude weighting.     

激光器匹配驱动的色散渐变线分析

论述了采用渐变线阻抗变换器对半导体激光器进行匹配驱动时,当考虑渐变线色散影响情况的分析。给出了色散影响的概念、时域的分析计算方法及对三角形、指数形及切比雪夫渐变线的计算结果和分析。     

Optical Ranging System Employing a High Power Injection Laser Diode

For many military applications small, lightweight range finders are required that operate at a high pulse repetition rate. It will be shown that a ranging system with an injection laser in the transmitter can fulfill these requirements. The performance of an optical ranging system employing a pulsed gallium arsenide laser diode transmitter, with peak powers up to 100 watts at room temperature is described. After a brief review of fundamental system parameters, calculations of the range capability of the system are given, based upon the Poisson distribution of photoelectron statistics. A discussion is presented on the experimental support of theoretical analysis.     

脉冲雷达探测中高轨道目标方法及试验

通过分析中高轨目标雷达回波信号特性,给出一种基于空间目标动力学约束的回波信号相参积累方法,介绍了信号积累模式下中高轨道目标的参数测量方法。通过对国内某型号雷达进行中高轨目标探测支路改造及相关试验,获取试验数据并对其进行分析,验证了原理的正确性和方法的可行性。     

二次法激光加工小孔技术

为了提高激光加工航空发动机气膜冷却孔质量,介绍了一种采用焦耳级脉冲能量毫秒激光在镍基高温合金上快速加工初始通孔,再采用毫焦耳级脉冲能量纳秒激光扩孔的二次加工小孔方法。通过该方法试图消除毫秒激光加工小孔产生的再铸层以及解决纳秒激光直接加工几乎无再铸层小孔效率低、深度有限的问题,从而实现更高效率加工高质量气膜冷却孔。试验研究结果表明,该方法可以有效去除毫秒激光加工小孔孔壁的再铸层,改善孔壁表面质量,与纳秒激光直接加工小孔比较,在加工1 mm左右深的小孔时可以提高加工效率,但加工2 mm以上深度的小孔时,对提高加工效率的作用不明显。基于试验结果及分析,对二次法加工小孔提出了改进措施。     

激光器驱动干涉型光纤陀螺光源相位调制技术研究

激光器驱动干涉型光纤陀螺的优点是潜在精度高、标度因数稳定性好等,在飞机、舰船惯性导航以及其他高性能领域具有广泛的应用前景。当然,干涉型光纤陀螺采用高相干光源面临诸多技术挑战,如相干瑞利散射、Kerr效应、偏振交叉耦合、Faraday效应等引起的漂移和噪声。采用宽线宽激光器可以抑制这些误差。针对激光器驱动干涉型光纤陀螺中加宽激光器线宽、降低激光器相干性的几种相位调制技术以及线宽加宽抑制噪声的效果进行了理论分析和评估。     

地基激光清除空间碎片过程建模与仿真

 空间碎片对人类航天活动的影响越来越大,用地基高能脉冲激光清除空间碎片被认为是一种可行手段。分析了地基激光清除空间碎片的原理,建立了碎片清除过程轨道动力学模型,通过选取两种典型的ps级和ns级激光器,对空间碎片的清除效果进行了仿真计算。结果表明:对于800 km和1 500 km轨道高度上的某典型空间碎片,两种激光器均不能在其一次过顶将其清除,需多次过顶才能达到清除效果;在进入大气层烧毁前,均需烧蚀一定的质量,而且轨道高度越高,烧蚀质量越多;ps级激光器比ns级激光器具有优势,15 kJ、 10 ns、 2 Hz的ns级激光器清除800 km和1 500 km轨道高度上的碎片所需总能量分别是150 J、1 ps、 65 Hz的ps级激光器的2.95倍和3.31倍。研究结果可为碎片清除方案制定和地基激光器参数选择提供依据。     

Output Signal-to-Noise Ratios for Amplitude-Modulated Noise-Like Lasers

A general expression of the output SNR of a photodetector is derived for a noise-like laser amplitude-modulated by a stationary Gaussian random modulating signal in the presence of a background light. The electric field Vx(t) of the noise-like laser is assumed to be a stationary narrowband Gaussian random process with zero mean. Two types of modulating signal are considered, the baseband and bandpass modulating signals. More specifically, the effects of the center frequency of the modulating signal, the modulating degree, the bandwidth ration of the noise-like laser to the modulating signal, the effective average quantum rate, and input CNR on output SNR are studied. The detection characteristics of the noise-like laser are also made clear by comparison with the case of a coherent laser.     

MACH2 simulations of a micro laser ablation plasma thruster

In this work the detailed physical processes occurring in the high density plasma that is ejected from the solid propellant surface in a small laser ablation thruster are simulated using MACH2. Qualitative results of the laser ablation process that leads to propellant erupting from the surface and leaving behind a crater in a solid Teflon® propellant are presented. Simulations were conducted for a 0.5 μs laser pulse (FWHM) at 935 nm with laser pulse energy ranging from 20 μJ to 2 mJ. Simulation results indicate that crater diameter and depth increase with pulse energy. The impulse bit also increases with pulse energy. Specific impulse follows the opposite trend and decreases with laser pulse energy. The simulated impulse bit for a 2 mJ, 0.5 μs laser pulse over-predicts that reported in the literature for a 2 mJ, 2 ms laser ablation thruster pulse by approximately one order of magnitude and under-predicts the specific impulse by approximately one order of magnitude.     

谐振式光纤陀螺用激光器最优工作区间探究

激光器为谐振式光纤陀螺(R-FOG)的关键器件,根据R-FOG对激光器的要求,提出了一种R-FOG用激光器最佳工作点及最优工作区间的确立方法,制定了激光器性能自动化测试方案,得到激光器光功率、中心波长与电流、温度的变化关系。由此推导出2个激光器电流与温度的最佳工作点,并利用拍频检测原理确立2个激光器电流与温度的最优工作区域。激光器最优工作区域的掌握,为其应用于R-FOG提供了详实的参数指标。     

激光诊断技术在脉冲爆震发动机研究中的应用

在美国海军研究生院及斯坦福大学的脉冲爆震发动机（PDE）模型上，应用两种新发展的二极管激光诊断技术－光吸收／高温辐射组合测定法和多路复合可调二极管激光（TDL）技术，测量了其中的温度、各燃烧产物组分等重要参数，并与传统方法所得结果进行对比，说明新方法可靠、准确，适合爆震燃烧流场这种特殊环境，测量精度更高，而且更加简便、快捷。     

小型航空活塞发动机点火系统优化设计

针对微型无人机用小功率航空活塞发动机电容放电点火系统快速高效充电进行了优化设计与试验研究.分析了传统充电升压变换采用恒频脉宽调制PWM(pulse width modulation)方式的缺点,提出了一种开关频率可变、输出电压检测无需电阻分压实现的充电方式,推导给出了关断时间和充电时间的计算公式,设计实现了该充电电路并进行了试验.结果表明:该充电方式充电时间短,效率高;充电时间估算方法准确可靠,误差小,计算量少.      

Stability Measurement Problems and Techniques for Operational Airborne Pulse Doppler Radar

In the deployment of pulse Doppler (PD) radar, determination of phase and amplitude stability is the most difficult measurement problem. Unique requirements are placed on pulse and carrier stability so that the radar can perform in strong clutter. Because of subclutter visibility and sensitivity specifications, coherent noise, which is insignificant for noncoherent pulse radars, becomes extremely important. In solving the measurement problem, special support equipment was developed which is considered to have reached such a degree of refinement that it is probably one of the most technically advanced pieces of field test equipment supporting any operational radar. This paper discusses stability requirements, sources of instability, and the combination of techniques selected for verification of compliance of the PD radar with the stability requirements. The results of a program to develop special field support equipment to satisfy the measurement requirements are emphasized. Results of field experience and the special training required of military field personnel to enable them to effectively use this relatively complex support equipment are discussed.     

Choice of Burst Number for Blind-Speed Avoidance

A common problem in radar system design is the choice of multiple PRF's to eliminate the blind speeds associated with coherent pulse bursts with uniform pulse spacing. This correspondence describes the procedure of selecting a set of PRF's in such a manner that the unambiguous Doppler achievable with the entire set is maximized. Based on this optimization of the set of PRF's, we determine how many PRF's the set should contain in order to minimize the required beam dwell time for a specified unambiguous Doppler.     

The Effect of Pulse Shape and Duty Cycle on Laser Binary Communication Systems

The result of an investigation of the effects of pulse shape and duty cycle on the probability of error are presented for a pulse-gated binary modulation (PGBM) laser communication system when the background irradiance has the important Lorentzian spectral shape.