Field trial of active remote sensing using a high-power short-wave infrared supercontinuum laser

Abstract

Field trial results of a 5 W all-fiber broadband supercontinuum (SC) laser covering the short-wave infrared (SWIR) wavelength bands from ~1.55 to 2.35 μm are presented. The SC laser is kept on a 12 story tower at the Wright Patterson Air Force Base and propagated through the atmosphere to a target 1.6 km away. Beam quality of the SC laser after propagating through 1.6 km is studied using a SWIR camera and show a near diffraction limited beam with an M(2) value of <1.3. The SC laser is used as the illumination source to perform spectral reflectance measurements of various samples at 1.6 km, and the results are seen to be in good agreement with in-lab measurements using a conventional lamp source. Spectral stability measurements are performed after atmospheric propagation through 1.6 km and show a relative variability of ~4%-8% across the spectrum depending on the atmospheric turbulence effects. Spectral stability measurements are also performed in-lab and show a relative variability of <0.6% across the spectrum.

Field tests for round-trip imaging at a 14 km distance with change detection and ranging using a short-wave infrared super-continuum laser

“…More recently, a 25-band laser detection and ranging system was demonstrated that is capable of up to 40 m range [4]. With the rapid advances in high-power diode laser pumps, it has now become possible to develop a broadband laser illuminator based on SCL technology with sufficient intensity at range to match the sunlight [5,6]. Our development efforts have concentrated in the SWIR region of the spectrum, but this technology is also applicable in the visible and in the mid-wave infrared.…”

Tower testing of a 64W shortwave infrared supercontinuum laser for use as a hyperspectral imaging illuminator

“…Previous tower testing was performed using a 5W SWIR SCL (SSCL) prototype operating from 1.5 − 2.4µm with a broadand SWIR camera and a SWIR point-sample field spectrometer. [10][11][12] This initial testing demonstrated the robust opeartion of the SSCL and the ability to retrieve spectral reflectance of materials using the SSCL as the sole source of illumination. Further SSCL development has resulted in a 64W breadboard SSCL operating over a spectral range of 1.0 − 1.8µm.…”

Spectrally Flat Supercontinuum Generation in a ZBLAN Fiber Pumped by Erbium-Doped Mode-Locked Fiber Laser

“…Supercontinuum (SC) laser sources with the ability to exhibit excellent wide bandwidth and good beam quality have attracted a significant scientific interest because of their wide applications covering the fields of metrology [1], molecular fingerprinting [2], infrared spectroscopy [3], as well as biomedicine [4]. SC sources also have potential applications in various long-distance optical sensing due to good beam profiles and high spectral stability [5]. Since Stolen and Lin observed SC generation in an optical fiber for the first time [6], various types of SC sources have been extensively investigated.…”