Award Data

We consider here antennas and sources for radiating high-power ultra-wideband (UWB) electromagnetic impulses from extremely compact and durable packages. Such a device will have applications either as a part of a UWB radar system or as an electromagnetic weapon. A need exists for an antenna that can radiate as broad a bandwidth as possible with maximum gain and at maximum voltage, from as small a ...

Photonic devices providing high performance spectral filtering, multiplexing, optical waveform processing, and signal routing will be designed, fabricated, and characterized. The devices are based on photolithographic scribing of holographic structures onto the surface of planar waveguides and operate on intra-guide signals. The holographic structures provide a manufacturable approach to 2D phot ...

There exists a critical need for revolutionary, new aerospace propulsion-related technologies. The micro Laser Plasma Thruster (uLPT) which Photonic Associates originated is such a technology. Our uLPT uses a cluster of diode lasers focused to a 25mm spot on the back of a transparent tape coated with a 50mm-thick carbon-containing absorbing layer. As the tape moves across the laser focus, a high- ...

We will develop a detailed conceptual design study of precision propulsion techniques, and quantify the expected performance characteristics with analysis, modeling and hardware. We will determine spacecraft performance criteria for spacecraft operating in clusters, propulsion system requirements, and analyze spacecraft vector velocity and placement precison vs. thruster parameters. A key feature ...

Plasmatronics has developed a unique oxygen singlet delta generator having the potential to replace the dangerous and bulky chemical "COIL" generator currently being used to power oxygen iodine lasers in military applications. Our process does not use any stored reactive chemicals - only oxygen plus inert gases, helium and argon. Oxygen activation is accomplished by a 40% efficient electrical proc ...

The development of highly reliable, very high speed telemetry systems is critical for improving the capability of ballistic missile defense (BMD) systems. The objective of this project is to continue the development of telemetry radios based on m-ary variable shift keying (MVSK) technology, which offers more robust performance, exceptional immunity to interference (including intentional jamming), ...

This effort investigates an advanced modular composite gimbal architecture for application to high performance acquisition, tracking, and pointing (ATP) systems. The effort focuses on application to the Airborne Laser (ABL) and similar directed energy systems. A key contribution is a proof-of-concept demonstration of Gimbal Adaptive Disturbance Rejection for dramatically improving disturbance reje ...

This effort investigates an advanced modular composite gimbal architecture for application to high performance space systems systems. The effort focuses on two long-life bearing concepts: an athermalized mechanical bearing design and a low-power magnetic beating design. The overall gimbal approach relies on several innovations which include: high specific stiffness thermally stable composite stru ...

This effort investigates an adaptive acoustic mitigation approach for reducing jitter in airborne directed energy platforms such as the airborne laser. Key benefits of the approach are reduced latency, improved correlation to the disturbance, its relative simplicity in implementation, and ability to integrate with other ABL control systems. This approach offers significant advantages in improving ...

When successfully completed, this R&D will generate a low cost process for qualification of a wide range of radiation hardened (rad-hard) devices for military and space applications. The project will also help validate the inherent radiation-hardness characteristics of Silicon Carbide as an improvement over currently available silicon materials. Team Specialty Products (TSP) proposes a 5-step feas ...