Award Data

Metamaterials and photonic crystals are engineered composites that exhibit novel and interesting properties not found using ordinary materials. They have been shown to allow extraordinary control over the electromagnetic field, including molding the flow of energy, amplitude profile of the field, phase of the waves, intermodal coupling, and more. To achieve such control, a set of tools and procedu ...

New, innovative laser spectroscopy technology will be developed for performance quantification and combustion characterization in a Rotational Detonation Rocket Engine (RDRE). The effort will push the state of the art in tunable laser absorption spectroscopy to enable fast time response diagnostics of the extreme pressure and temperature conditions of an RDRE.

We propose a three-dimensional imaging approach based on digital holography. Our approach is based on frequency diversity using a single chirped pulse instead of a train of pulses with different frequencies. Our approach promises to mitigate most of the issues limiting the performance of current methods and offer additional enabling capabilities that will improve target identification and tracking ...

Tau Technologies is teaming with Dr. David Voelz and his research group at New Mexico State University (NMSU) to propose “Vibration Imaging for the characterization of extended non-cooperative targets�, which employs dual-pulses in two different variations for vibration imaging in order to characterize non-cooperative targets at extended standoffs. One method is based on double-pulse ...

Locating objects that vibrate is a way to discern potential threats and locate targets. However, current vibrometry technology typically measures only the global vibration of target and cannot create an extended spatial measurement of the vibration profile of the target. These solutions cannot identify what the target is, nor can they locate potential weak spots on the target, because they lack sp ...

Efficient design, build, and test of an HEL system leverages modeling and simulation (M&S) to reduce cost and increase robustness. Designers use models to explore parameter variations and to estimate performance in conditions which cannot be tested due to physical or financial constraints. This provides significant savings in cost and time. Because live testing is so expensive, it is best used as ...

We will deliver a new software architecture for scene generation named the Realistic Image and Neighborhood Generator (RING). Instead of being tied to a single tool, RING will provide interfaces suitable for a wide variety of image and scene rendering tools to run and interact with other codes. As an initial implementation of the interfaces, we will incorporate Stellar Science’s powerful, f ...

Target tracking and aimpoint maintenance are critical functions within a laser directed energy system. Traditionally, the optical sensor is a conventional camera viewing an actively illuminated target. In the absence of turbulence, it is still difficult to point the laser weapon to a specific hit spot when there are no features in the required direction. Further, atmospheric turbulence scintillate ...

Large ground-based telescopes require adaptive optics (AO) to correct for distortions introduced by atmospheric turbulence. In order to function, the AO system must track a bright point source. Although a natural star may be used, full sky coverage requires an artificial beacon created with a laser. The most common type of laser guide star (LGS) employs the mesospheric layer of sodium atoms at an ...

The DoD lacks an multi-level security (MLS) cyber information management (CIM) system capable of collecting, sharing and disseminating cyber information containing threats, system vulnerabilities and mission impacts and risks for systems operating at multiple security levels. A system that can securely collect and persist this information from various systems operating at various security levels i ...