Novel pulsed solid state sources for laser remote sensing

Laser remote sensing has become a versatile and widely applied tool for the detection and characterization of a variety of hard and soft targets. For applications where eye safety is an issue these sources are usually in the infrared. Mission needs often dictate transmitter parameters that require unusual laser wavelengths and waveforms that are not commercially available. Waveform requirements can include ns-class pulses for precision ranging; single-frequency 100s-ns pulses for velocity measurements; frequency-agile sources for chemical sensing; high-energy, J-class, pulses for long-range environmental sensing; and adaptive waveforms for in-situ transmitter optimization or multi-function sensors. Additionally, in the case of airborne and space-based sensors, platforms often dictate stringent size, weight and power constraints. This paper discusses laser transmitter requirements for a variety of laser remote sensing missions and describes novel pulsed solid-state sources under development at CTI to meet these needs. Current work includes the development of high-efficiency Nd:YAG, Er:YAG and Ho:YAG lasers, high power Tm:YALO lasers, high-energy Tm:YAG amplifiers, broadly tunable Cr:ZnSe lasers, short-pulse Raman lasers, and wavelength-agile optical parametric oscillators.