Ladar & Optical Communications Institute

Dr. Paul McManamon

Chief Scientist, Sensors Directorate

Air Force Research Laboratory

Joseph W. Haus

Electro-Optics Program

University of Dayton

July , 2007

• Develop and demonstrate ladar and communications – Ladar is a very rich ID sensor– We need high bandwidth comm.

• Enhance the workforce for AFRL– We need US national researchers in these

areas

• Cultivate government, industry and academic partners– Network throughout the community

AFRL motivation

The Vision of LOCI• Sematech like center for laser radar research and

graduate study– Added lasercom since many aspects are very

synergistic– Advance laser radar research in pre-competitive areas

• Industry participation– Both education needs and research

• Collaboration between AFRL, AFIT, the University of Dayton, and the laser radar / lasercom communities

• Provide graduate education in laser radar and lasercom– Phd’s– MS, plus about a semester long certificate– The place for graduate education in ladar & lasercom

Why Ladar and Lasercom?• Ladar is the best ID sensor• It has very rich phenomenology

– Many different aspects to explore• It is early in its development

– It can leverage off of radar development (e.g. SAR)– It can and should work with radar of the future– Ladar is on the verge of significant developments, like synthetic aperture

ladar and phased array beam steering• It has commercial applications

– Auto ladar (all finishers of the DARPA Grand Challenge used ladar)– Medical imaging?

• AFRL/SN has a large amount of work in ladar• Free space lasercom is a spin off

– Many waveforms and components are the same as ladar– It has commercial applications (e.g. last mile)– The AF needs high bandwidth comm

The “Center” is

• UD contract

• Congressional add (through WBI)

• AFRL in-house– SNJ systems in-house– SND device in-house

• AFIT research

• UD and AFIT courses

• Industry sponsored research

Ten Year Goal• LOCI is known as the go to place for the USA in at least

some part of cutting edge ladar or lasercom research. – LOCI has the researchers– LOCI has the facilities

• LOCI has multiple spin off local small companies and local offices of big companies– Mostly military, but some commercial

• Many companies fund research at LOCI– Mostly funded in groups that work together

• LOCI supports company educational needs– Ongoing as well as new students

• The best graduates in the world in laser radar and lasercom come from LOCI– Most of them are US nationals

Twenty year goal

• US national capability in laser radar and in lasercom is beginning to be dominated by LOCI grads– Industry– Government

• Commercial applications rival military applications

LOCI Facility plan-12,000 sq ft of space in College Park Center Fifth Floor- four labs, visitor & student office space, admin &Industrial collaborative space for joint projects.

Graduate Degrees

• MS track (30 credits)

• Certificates ( one semester)– Laser radar– Laser communications

• PhD

ENDOWED CHAIR IN LADAR AND OPTICAL COMMUNICATIONS

• U.S. citizen.

• Nationally recognized scholar in laser radar and/or free space optical communications (FSOC).

• Work with LOCI and its constituency to prioritize research and develop future directions

Board of Governors• Current Board:

– Chair: Raytheon, Nick Uros– UD: Mickey McCabe, VP for Research and Executive

Dir. of UDRI– AFRL: Joe Sciabica, Director, AFRL/SN– AFIT: Marlin Thomas, Dean of the Graduate School– Lockheed Martin - Doug Pasquan, Director, Aircraft

Systems Technology– Textron - John Boness, VP

• Anticipate 6-8 companies by fall BOG meeting

Areas of interest

• Synthetic apertures– Sub-aperture imaging– Aperture motion– Non-mechanical beam steering

• Obscurant penetration

• Vibration signature detection

• Imaging through foliage

• Other?

Aperture Synthesis Taxonomy

Temporal Synthesis(Synthetic Aperture Ladar)

AS: Aperture Translation• Modes

Cross Over Synthesis(Phased Arrays)

AS: Translation & Separation• Modes

Spatial Synthesis(Sparse Apertures)

AS: Aperture Separation• Modes

• Imaging Gain few x RA

Spatial Imaging & Vibration Primary Modes• Drives primary problem set – Aperture phasing and phase histories• Polarization, multiple colors are plumbing/complexity

Temporal Synthesis – Sparse Apertures Aperture Synthesis

• Sparse aperture arrays require performance trade studies. In-House efforts have characterized the effects. Miller et al., 2006

• Sparse aperture arrays require performance trade studies. In-House efforts have characterized the effects. Miller et al., 2006

AFRL/SNJMUniversity of Dayton

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Provide increased resolution for tactical combat identification using distributed optical apertures. Smaller, lightweight apertures allow for conformal surface placement and less complex compensation for atmospheric turbulence.

Summary

• LOCI ( the center) is gaining momentum• LOCI will ensure the development of laser radar

and lasercom technology– This is a national need for the US– Military, commercial, medical, and homeland security

applications

• LOCI will ensure the US has a supply of expert manpower in ladar and lasercom– Military applications first– Then commercial applications