SBIR Phase I: Eyesafe Laser Transmitter for Clear Air Turbulence Warning Systems

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This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will demonstrate the feasibility of a novel eyesafe laser transmitter for integration into a clear air turbulence (CAT) warning system for commercial airliners. The CAT warning system is a coherent laser radar that measures wind speed in the forward flight path and alerts the pilot to turbulent wind conditions. The proposed high-power eyesafe diode-pumped solid-state laser transmitter utilizes a novel design that does not require liquid coolants, in contrast with existing high-power eyesafe transmitters. As a result the proposed transmitter requires significantly less volume, weight, and prime power than existing eyesafe transmitters, making it suitable for airborne applications such as CAT warning. The proposed transmitter delivers Q-switched output with pulse energies, pulse repetition frequencies, and pulse durations which are ideal for coherent laser radar wind sensing. In Phase I, key laboratory demonstrations will be performed, and a high-power transmitter design will be developed, to show feasibility of the proposed transmitter for integration into a coherent laser radar transceiver. A complete coherent laser radar transceiver would be demonstrated with Phase II funding. The proposed eyesafe laser transmitter will be useful for applications in which prime power, weight, and volume are restricted, in particular for airborne and spaceborne remote sensing. The transmitter will be of use in commercial aviation for clear air turbulence monitoring, and for wake vortex avoidance and traffic monitoring, both airborne and in the terminal environment. The transmitter will also be useful for measuring global winds from space for weather forecasting and modeling.