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DIRECTED
ENERGY
PROFESSIONAL
SOCIETY
Abstract: 24-Symp-092
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UNCLASSIFIED, PUBLIC RELEASE
On-axis versus Off-Axis Beam Expanders as Applied to High Energy Laser Weapons Systems
The design of the beam expander has become increasingly important as the High Energy Laser Weapon Systems (HELWS) beam control community attempts to address emerging threats with larger aperture sizes. At present, most HELWS use Spectrally Beam Combined (SBC) fiber lasers which have a Gaussian beam footprint. For this reason, HELWS programs have sought out unobscured beam expanders that employ off-axis parabolic (OAP) mirrors to avoid having to core the central portion of the HEL beam. However, off-axis systems are generally more costly and take more time to fabricate as compared to simpler on-axis configurations. This presentation addresses the systems engineering and performance trade-offs between on-axis and off-axis beam expander designs.
UNCLASSIFIED, PUBLIC RELEASE
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