Optical Science and Engineering ETDs

Publication Date

Fall 11-3-2016

Abstract

Optically pumped semiconductor lasers (OPSLs) are shown to provide a much more compact and less expensive source for illumination of the sodium layer of the mesosphere for use as a sodium laser guidestar via single and two photon excitation schemes. This represents a revolution in laser guidestar technology as the cost, size, and power requirements for a laser guidestar system are shown to have been decreased by an order of magnitude with guidestar performance shown to be similar to previous sources. Sodium laser guidestar sources for broadband simultaneous illumination of multiple lines are developed and simulated. Simulations are then compared to actual returns for multi-line sodium laser guidestars. The simultaneous multi-line laser guidestar is shown to be superior to the single line laser guidestar for equal output powers both via modeling and via on sky returns performed at Starfire Optical Range (SOR) with a combination of a legacy narrowband laser guidestars and a broadband OPSL guidestar. The multi-line OPSL guidestars are shown to provide the first continuous wave source for use as a polychromatic laser guidestar (PLGS) to correct for tip and tilt aberrations. Different methods for utilization of the PLGS are simulated and compared showing that the OPSL sources developed are suitable for use as a CW PLGS to correct for tip and tilt with current generation telescopes and adaptive optics systems. Wave optics and Bloch equation simulations are then developed and performed to determine the utility and optimal setup for LGS and PLGS systems which prove OPSL's utility as the next generation of sodium laser guidestars.

Degree Name

Optical Science and Engineering

Level of Degree

Doctoral

Department Name

Optical Science and Engineering

First Committee Member (Chair)

Prof. Mansoor Sheik-Bahae

Second Committee Member

Prof. Majeed Hayat

Third Committee Member

Dr. Robert Johnson

Fourth Committee Member

Prof. John McGraw

Sponsors

Air Force Research Lab

Document Type

Dissertation

Language

English

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