Research Areas

1
Atmospheric Propagation of High Energy Lasers
Modeling, Simulation, Tracking, and ControlMRI
(AFOSR Grant F49620-02-01-0319)
Steve Gibson, PI Tsu-Chin Tsao,
Co-PI
Adaptive Optics (AO), Jitter Control, Target
Tracking Recent Advances and Transitions
MRI Team
UCLA Steve Gibson, Tsu-Chin Tsao Michigan Tech
Mike Roggemann, Tim Schulz Georgia Tech Allen
Tannenbaum MZA Associates Corp Eric Magee,
Matthew Whiteley Tempest Technologies Ben
Fitzpatrick, Yun Wang Trex Enterprises Mikhail
Belenkii

• UCLAs new AO methods have improved laser beam
  control in the Atmospheric Simulation and
  Adaptive-optics Laboratory Testbed at the
  Starfire Optical Range, Kirtland AFB.
• UCLA is collaborating with Teledyne Scientific
  Company and AFRL, Kirtland AFB, to apply
  UCLAs adaptive jitter control algorithms to
  Teledynes prototype liquid crystal devices for
  steering laser beams. This is a continuing
  collaboration with Dr. Dan Herrick of AFRL and
  Mr. Bruce Winker, Dr. Milind Mahajan and Dr.
  Bing Wen of Teledyne Scientific, which is
  funded by HEL JTO.
• AO methods (UCLA) based on adaptive filtering
  and control have been successful in
  high-fidelity ABL simulations (ATK/Mission
  Research and MZA Associates) with active
  illumination and tracking.
• Bayesian Tracker (Georgia Tech, Tempest
  Technologies) and the new AO methods (UCLA)
  combined have produced 77 increase in HEL
  intensity on target in high-fidelity
  evaluations (ATK/ Mission Research).
• UCLAs adaptive jitter control methods will be
  used in a relay- optics experiment at AFRL
  under a Phase II SBIR to Tempest Technologies,
  funded by MDA.

Research Areas

• New Methods for Wave Front and Jitter Control
  Adaptive Filtering and Control
  Novel Wave Front Sensing
• Modeling and Simulation of Beam Propagation
  Extended Turbulence Active Illumination
  Thermal Blooming
• Imaging and Tracking through Turbulence
  Image Processing Adaptive Prediction