Optical Performance Predictions for High-Energy Laser Systems

Richard Wade; Robert Acebal; Jad Batteh; Jerry Long; Wilford Smith

doi:10.1117/12.975497

25 November 1986 Optical Performance Predictions for High-Energy Laser Systems

Richard Wade, Robert Acebal, Jad Batteh, Jerry Long, Wilford Smith

Proceedings Volume 0642, Modeling and Simulation of Optoelectronic Systems; (1986) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.975497
Event: 1986 Technical Symposium Southeast, 1986, Orlando, United States

Abstract

In this paper, we describe a wave optics model we have developed for predicting the performance of high-energy laser systems, with particular emphasis on its application to the cylindrical, source-flow HF chemical laser. The structure of the code is based on the 'lumped equivalent optical train' concept, in which any continuous spatial effect on the optical field, such as mirrors, apertures, and gain medium, is approximated numerically by a finite number of transfer functions on the field. Free space propagation between elements is achieved by using Fast Fourier Transforms. The gain is modeled as a series of gain sheets, where the spatial dependence of the gain is calculated from a detailed aerokinetic treatment of the interaction of the intensity field with the flow in the laser cavity. Resonator calculations will be described for two different gain models. In the rotational nonequilibrium (RNE) model, the effects of disequilibrium in the rotational distribution of the individual vibrational levels are accounted for explicitly by solving an evolution equation for each vibro-rotational state of the lasing molecule. The second gain model, referred to as the single line (SL) model, is based on two assumptions, namely that the rotational levels in each vibrational level are in thermal equilibrium, and that the gain on the lasing lines is identical.

Citation Download Citation

Richard Wade, Robert Acebal, Jad Batteh, Jerry Long, and Wilford Smith "Optical Performance Predictions for High-Energy Laser Systems", Proc. SPIE 0642, Modeling and Simulation of Optoelectronic Systems, (25 November 1986); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.975497

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