Methods and systems for the generation of non-lethal and lethal effects using ultra-short pulse lasers. A laser source generates pulses at the direction of a controller and directs the pulses along an optical path to one or more high-speed beam steering devices, also directed by the controller, which then directs the laser pulses to achieve the desired effects. A computerized controller receives a specification of one or more desired effects for one or more targets and calculates a distribution of ultra-short laser pulses as well as the required characteristics for each of the pulses.

A coherent fiber array laser power projection system scalable to large number of subapertures and includes sensors that produce signals dependent upon beam characteristics, and controllers configured to control beam characteristics to achieve either phasing of outgoing beams at transmitter plane or coherent beam combining at a remote target or both.

An apparatus for reducing thermal blooming in an optical subsystem of a high energy laser (HEL) comprises a fluid pump that receives a first fluid containing diatomic oxygen at a first concentration and a combustion chamber that combusts the first fluid to develop a second fluid containing diatomic oxygen at a second concentration, wherein the second concentration is less than the first concentration, and wherein the second fluid is supplied to the optical subsystem of the HEL A method of operating an HEL having an optical subsystem is also disclosed.

The invention relates to a laser beam device for generating an effective laser beam and an illuminating laser beam, having a coupling element for coupling the illuminating laser beam into a beam path of the effective laser beam. The laser beam device is characterized in that the coupling element has a first sub-region and a second sub-region that is different from the first sub-region, and the effective laser beam, the illuminating laser beam and the coupling element are arranged relative to one another such that the effective laser beam is directed onto the first sub-region and the illuminating laser beam is directed onto the second sub-region, the first sub-region being transparent to the effective laser beam and the second sub-region being designed to reflect the illuminating laser beam in parallel with the effective laser beam.

There is provided a laser controller comprising: an electromagnetic radiation source operable to transmit radiation into the environment; a backscatter detector operable to detect backscattered radiation from the environment; and a processor operable to generate a laser control signal based on characteristics of the detected backscattered radiation.

Provided is a thermal management apparatus for use with a vehicle, the apparatus comprising a plurality of phase change heat exchange units thermally coupled with a vehicle system that requires thermal management, the plurality of phase change heat exchange units operable to remove heat from the vehicle system.

A method is presented for operating a laser radiation device (10) that has an illumination laser (14) and an active laser (13), and wherein, in a first operating mode of the laser radiation device (10) in which the active laser (13) does not emit any active laser radiation (20), the illumination laser (14) is operated in such a way that its illumination laser radiation (22) has a first illumination laser radiant flux. The method is characterized in that, in a second operating mode of the laser radiation device (10) in which the active laser (13) emits active laser radiation (20), the illumination laser (14) is operated such that its illumination laser radiation (22) has a second illumination laser radiant flux that is greater than the first illumination laser radiant flux.

Disclosed are systems and methods of heating and cooling a laser system by providing a vapor compression system having a plurality of compressors. A control system controls the activity of each compressor and activates and manages the speed of each compressor to efficiently provide cooling and heating of the laser system.

An apparatus includes imaging optics having an objective lens configured to focus electromagnetic radiation to an intermediate image plane and one or more optical devices configured to generate an optical beam from the electromagnetic radiation. The apparatus also includes at least one imaging sensor configured to capture an image from the optical beam. The apparatus further includes a beam generator configured to generate and transmit an HEL beam through the imaging optics. In addition, the apparatus includes an intermediate alignment target configured to be moveably positioned at the intermediate image plane. The intermediate alignment target includes a first-wavelength target configured to reflect a first spectral band of the HEL beam to a first of the at least one imaging sensor (the first imaging sensor configured to capture a first-wavelength infrared image of the first spectral band) and transmit remaining spectral portions of the HEL beam towards the objective lens.

A method for jamming a target includes aiming a pulsed laser at the target using a tracking system. The pulsed laser emits a pulsed laser beam at the target, thereby generating plasma that causes sound waves equal to or less than 5 ft from the target. The pulsed laser beam is swept with a frequency range to find a target frequency, thereby jamming the target.