Sensors-Adaptive Beam Expander

We propose to design and fabricate an adaptive beam expander that can be switched between two magnifications. Specifically, the beam expander provides diffraction-limited performance for laser radar beams with diameters of 1 mm and 3 mm. The adaptive beam expander is lightweight, and it has no moving parts. Because the beam expander is an afocal system, it operates on both outgoing and incoming beams in the same optical train. Variable beam expanders have uses in laser radar systems and in a variety of other optical applications. They can be used to change the spot diameter in such applications as laser surgery, reading and writing on compact disks, surveillance, high-quality printing (graphic arts), etc.