Efforts in laser radar transmitters, receivers, and componentry appropriate for coherent infrared radar are overviewed. Included will be test evaluations and accomplishments on chemical lasers, chemical transfer lasers, electric transfer lasers, and pulsed electric discharge lasers. Developments in wideband detectors/heterodyne receivers are addressed as well as results in AM/FM modulators and beam deflectors. This paper will summarize the technology results accomplished under sponsorship of the U.S. Army Ballistic Missile Defense Advanced Technology Center (BMDATC) by both private and governmental concerns. Waveform generation and high performance stability achievements are addressed including techniques implemented. Typical achievements include test results on lasers with regard to temporal and spatial stability, gain measurements, waveform generation techniques, actively stabilized CO2 local oscillators, adaptive receiver techniques to correct for laser stability errors, 2.5 GHz bandwidth detector arrays, improved acousto-optic Bragg deflectors, and high PRF modulators. Technology problems facing coherent ladar implementation are considered.

Date Published: 30 April 1982
PDF: 7 pages
Proc. SPIE 0300, Physics and Technology of Coherent Infrared Radar I, (30 April 1982); doi: 10.1117/12.932572

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 0300:
Physics and Technology of Coherent Infrared Radar I
Robert C. Harney, Editor(s)