MRI: Development of a High-Power Adaptive Phased Fiber-Array Laser System

MRI：高功率自适应相控光纤阵列激光系统的开发

• 批准号: 1531339
• 负责人: Mikhail Vorontsov
• 金额: $ 70万
• 依托单位: University of Dayton
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2015
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2015-08-15 至 2019-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1531339&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: MRI; Development; Power; Adaptive; Phased

The high-power laser systems currently used in various industries (automotive, aerospace, defense, nuclear and fusion energy, gas/oil, etc.) suffer from a lack of agile/intelligent control of high-power laser beam characteristics. They use the brute force of kW-class laser power to melt or evaporate materials without real-time process monitoring and intelligent feedback control. With the increasing demand for processing and joining a variety of novel material types and emerging development of additive manufacturing techniques, the high-power laser energy source technology must meet stricter fit-form-function requirements for excellent beam quality and precise spatial and temporal control of energy flux. This project is focused on development of a high-energy continuous wave (CW) Adaptive Phased Fiber-Array (APFA) laser system that is designed to fulfill these requirements, leading to yet unexplored opportunities for significant advances in laser material processing. Multi-kW power laser systems with excellent beam quality and adaptive beam control capabilities are also required in diverse, directed energy applications, such as long-distance battery recharging and optical power transfer, remote demolition of infrastructure elements in a contaminated area, future photon-assisted propulsion of spacecraft, and distant interrogation of asteroids.Emerging from recent technology breakthroughs in high-power fiber-lasers and adaptive beam control, the APFA laser instrument includes: (a) a multi-kW CW laser energy source comprised of a seven-channel high-power fiber amplifier system, (b) a high-power adaptive fiber-array laser head with an advanced water-cooling system, (c) integrated sensors for adaptive mitigation of mechanical jitter and optical aberrations resulting from laser beam interaction with the material, and (d) a hybrid (feedback/programmable) control system for real-time manipulation of the high-power energy flux spatial and temporal characteristics. The proposed instrumentation combines in a novel single laser energy source the most highly desired characteristics and capabilities in laser material processing and directed energy applications including: excellent (M^21.15) beam quality at 10 kW power level, precise (submicron accuracy) electronic beam pointing and stabilization, wide-range focal spot steering and adaptive refocusing, adaptive compensation for mechanical jitter and heat-induced aberrations, programmable control of laser beam polarization, spatial and temporal coherence, and intelligent control of energy flux spatial distribution. The APFA laser energy source will substantially broaden research and provide an excellent opportunity for education and training in the burgeoning areas of fiber-laser technology, laser material processing and manufacturing, and advanced control, enhancing careers in these multiple scientific fields. The availability of the new laser system to both industrial researchers and University programs also helps the local area economy in its transitioning to high-tech industry.

目前应用于各个行业（汽车、航空航天、国防、核能和聚变能源、天然气/石油等）的大功率激光系统缺乏对大功率激光束特性的敏捷/智能控制。他们使用kw级激光功率的蛮力来熔化或蒸发材料，而无需实时过程监控和智能反馈控制。随着加工和连接各种新型材料的需求不断增加以及增材制造技术的不断发展，大功率激光能量源技术必须满足更严格的拟合形式-功能要求，以获得优异的光束质量和精确的能量通量时空控制。该项目专注于开发一种高能连续波（CW）自适应相控光纤阵列（APFA）激光系统，旨在满足这些要求，为激光材料加工带来尚未开发的重大进步机会。具有优异光束质量和自适应光束控制能力的多千瓦功率激光系统也需要用于各种定向能应用，例如远程电池充电和光功率传输，污染区域基础设施的远程拆除，未来光子辅助推进航天器，以及小行星的远程询问。从高功率光纤激光器和自适应光束控制的最新技术突破中脱颖而出，APFA激光仪器包括：(a)由七通道高功率光纤放大器系统组成的多千瓦连续激光能量源，(b)带有先进水冷系统的高功率自适应光纤阵列激光头，(c)集成传感器，用于自适应缓解激光束与材料相互作用造成的机械抖动和光学像差，以及(d)用于实时操纵高功率能量通量时空特性的混合（反馈/可编程）控制系统。所提出的仪器在一个新的单一激光能量源中结合了激光材料加工和定向能应用中最期望的特性和能力，包括：10 kW功率水平下优异的（M^21.15）光束质量，精确的（亚微米精度）电子束指向和稳定，宽范围焦斑转向和自适应再聚焦，机械抖动和热致像差的自适应补偿，激光束偏振的可编程控制，空间和时间相干性，以及能量通量空间分布的智能控制。APFA激光能源将大大拓宽研究领域，并为光纤激光技术、激光材料加工和制造以及先进控制等新兴领域的教育和培训提供良好的机会，促进这些多个科学领域的职业发展。为工业研究人员和大学项目提供新的激光系统也有助于当地经济向高科技产业过渡。