SBIR Phase II: Affordable Optically Pumped Semiconductor Lasers for Polychromatic Guide Star Systems

SBIR 第二阶段：用于多色导星系统的经济型光泵浦半导体激光器

• 批准号: 0956879
• 负责人: Gregory Fetzer
• 金额: $ 50万
• 依托单位: Arete Associates
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2010
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2010-04-01 至 2012-03-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0956879&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: SBIR; Phase; II; Affordable; Optically

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project conducts research and development of a unique laser technology that simultaneously provides a compact and low-cost alternative to laser guide star and polychromatic laser guide star sources. Guide star lasers are used in ground based adaptive-optics telescopes to provide high altitude, bright, point sources enabling adaptive near real-time correction for atmospheric aberrations. Adaptive optics systems rely on a combination of laser and natural guide-stars for tip-tilt correction. This limitation reduces the regions of space that can be explored due to the scarcity of natural guide-stars of adequate brightness. An elegant solution is to use polychromatic laser beacons comprising two closely spaced output wavelengths (569 and 589nm) to produce guide stars emitting, at distinctly disparate wavelengths (330 and 589nm). In 2008 a National Science Foundation committee of key adaptive optics scientists and decisions makers found astronomy is limited by the current state-of-the-art in lasers and that improving sodium laser beacons is critical to reaching stated astronomy science objectives. The research conducted under this SBIR project will produce optically pumped semiconductor lasers that can overcome technical limitations presented by more traditional guide star laser alternatives while simultaneously making guide star lasers more affordable.The broader impact/commercial potential of this project will significantly impact the ability of observatories around the world to reach their scientific objectives by making available highly-reliable, low-cost guide star lasers. Currently, laser guide star systems are too expensive for all but the most well endowed observatories. Renowned experts and key decision makers in the field estimate the current laser guide star system cost at $100,000 per Watt of output power. The use of the laser technology to be produced can dramatically reduce the cost while simultaneously reducing the size weight and power required to operate the laser. In the near future, astronomical observatories will develop and field telescopes with much larger apertures. These and existing large aperture telescopes require multiple guide star lasers with a higher level of diversity, greater reliability while having lower per unit acquisition and maintenance costs. Successful development of the proposed product will positively impact astronomy, science and education by freeing up resources otherwise allocated to acquisition of expensive guide star systems. As a result, smaller observatories requiring a single system and large observatories requiring multiple laser guide stars will be able to execute their capital acquisition plans and achieve their science goals more rapidly.

这项小型企业创新研究（SBIR）II期项目进行了独特的激光技术的研究和开发，该技术同时提供了激光导向星和多色激光指南的紧凑型和低成本替代品。 导恒星激光器用于基于地面的自适应式望远镜，以提供高海拔，明亮的点源，从而实现自适应近实时校正大气畸变。 自适应光学系统依赖于激光和天然指标的组合进行倾斜校正。由于自然指导明星的适当亮度缺乏，这种局限性降低了可以探索的空间区域。一个优雅的解决方案是使用包括两个紧密间隔的输出波长（569和589nm）组成的多色激光信标，以明显不同的波长（330和589nm）产生引导星。 2008年，国家科学基金会主要自适应光学科学家和决策制造商发现天文学受到激光的最新面貌的限制，并且改善钠激光信标对于达到既定天文学科学目标至关重要。 The research conducted under this SBIR project will produce optically pumped semiconductor lasers that can overcome technical limitations presented by more traditional guide star laser alternatives while simultaneously making guide star lasers more affordable.The broader impact/commercial potential of this project will significantly impact the ability of observatories around the world to reach their scientific objectives by making available highly-reliable, low-cost guide star lasers. 目前，激光导恒星系统对除赋予最良好的天文台以外的所有人来说都太昂贵了。 现场著名的专家和关键决策者估计，当前激光指南系统的成本为每瓦的产出功率100,000美元。 生产激光技术的使用可以大大降低成本，同时减少操作激光所需的尺寸重量和功率。 在不久的将来，天文学观测值将开发和远程望远镜，并具有更大的光圈。 这些和现有的大型光圈望远镜需要多个指南激光器，具有较高的多样性，更高的可靠性，同时每单位获取和维护成本较低。 拟议产品的成功开发将通过释放资源，否则分配给昂贵的指南系统，从而对天文学，科学和教育产生积极影响。 结果，需要单个系统和需要多个激光指南明星的大型观测值的较小的观测站将能够执行其资本获取计划并更快地实现其科学目标。