These short courses were offered in conjunction with the UK US Directed Energy Symposium, held 8-12 October 2012 in Swindon, United Kingdom. Continuing Education Unit (CEU) credits were awarded upon successful completion of these DEPS short courses.
Course 1. Beam Control for Laser Systems Classification: Unclassified, Public Release Instructors: Paul Merritt Duration: Full-day course, starts at 0800 CEUs awarded: 0.7 Course Description: This class will include an overview of existing beam control technologies and will look at beam control systems envisioned for the future. The class starts with the development of performance equations of a propagated laser beam and shows how disturbances, like jitter, degrade performance. Supporting technologies that include random data processing techniques and control system design will be reviewed prior to discussing beam control designs. Pointing and tracking beam control components and systems will be discussed. The topics of gimbal systems and alignment systems will be described and math models developed. Controls modeling for adaptive optics will be presented. The concepts for future fiber laser beam control systems will be introduced. The students will obtain an introduction to the topics mentioned above and will be given a copy of the book "Beam Control for Laser Systems" by Paul Merritt. Topics to be covered include:
Intended Audience: The class assumes the students have an engineering background and understand the use of differential equations. The class is aimed at persons who will be analyzing beam control system performance, but also should be of use to managers who desire to understand the techniques available for analysis of beam control systems. The class will cover the necessary introductory material, but will progress through this material at a fast pace. Instructor Biography: Paul Merritt received his PhD in Mechanical Engineering in 1974 and the same year started working on beam control for laser systems at the Air Force Weapons Lab. He has continued in this field working for the Air Force, Hughes, Boeing, and the University of New Mexico over the last 30 years. His specialty is control theory applied to beam control systems. He taught classes on random processes and control theory at the University of New Mexico. Course 2. High Power Electromagnetic (HPEM) Effects and Data Collection Classification: Unclassified, Limited Participation Instructors: Duration: Half-day course, starts at 1300 CEUs awarded: 0.35 Course Description: This course is focused on explaining the planning and execution of a high power microwave effects test. The information is presented at an overview level meant to give new test engineers, modelers, and other team members not involved in the details of testing an overview of the work required to plan and execute an effort. We will cover the basics of Bayesian Analysis of effects data, early test planning, and identification of errors or problems with a test as it is ongoing. Topics to be covered include:
Intended Audience: The course is intended for anyone interested in how HPEM effects tests are planned, executed, and analyzed. Even though it does not require a bachelor's degree in science or engineering, it is meant for individual with some back ground in science or engineering and/or in technical program management. Instructor Biographies: Dr. Timothy Clarke is the Technical Advisor for the Effects & Modeling Branch, High Power Microwave Division at the Air Force Research Laboratory's Directed Energy Directorate, where he works in the area of RF effects as well as various aspects of modeling and simulation. He has worked in this field since 2001, and has given several previous DEPS HPM short courses. He has a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics and a PhD in Applied Mathematics, both from Cambridge University. Mr. David Brumit is an RF engineer for the Effects & Modeling Branch, High Power Microwave Division at the Air Force Research Laboratory's Directed Energy Directorate since 2004. His experience includes RF effects experimentation, mitigation, and system hardening. He has a Bachelor and Master of Sciences in Electrical Engineering from New Mexico State University. Mr. Hugh Pohle has a BSEE and MSEE specializing in Microwave Engineering. He has been with the AFRL for the past 30 years working in the area of Electromagnetic Pulse and high power microwave effects and measurements. He has conducted numerous large scale field tests of HPM systems to measure their power and effectiveness. Course 3. Introduction to Lasers and Laser DEW Classification: Unclassified, Public Release Instructor: David James, Cranfield University, Shrivenham, England Duration: Half-day course, starts at 1300 CEUs awarded: 0.35 Course Description: This course is designed to give the student a grounding in laser principles and operation extending into laser propagation and laser effects. On completion of the course the student will be able to assess the potential effects of a laser based upon it characteristics and beam parameters. The student will also receive an introduction into laser DEW and examination of some real laser DEW systems. Topics to be covered include:
Intended Audience: This course is primarily intended for postgraduate level attendees with a technical / scientific background and those seeking to learn more about laser operation, laser use and laser DEW. Instructor Biography: Dr James graduated in Physics from the University of Wales in 1989 and began work in nonlinear optical devices at materials in UK MoD within the Royal Armament and Research and Development Establishment. In 1993 he moved to DERA Malvern where he continued his research and the assessment of foreign laser systems. This work included the assessment of the performance of optical materials and devices when subjected to laser pulses propagating through the atmosphere. In 2001 he was awarded a PhD from the Royal Military College of Science for his research. By 2002 he was the team leader for electro-optic protection measures within Dstl and routinely conducted outdoor field trials using a wide range of laser systems. In 2007 he was appointed as a senior lecturer at Cranfield University, Shrivenham where he has pursued his interest in novel laser applications and laser / human interactions.
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