Modeling and simulation tools for high-energy laser safety applications

Peter Alan Smith; David A. Van Veldhuizen; Kenneth S. Keppler

doi:10.1117/12.440053

19 September 2001 Modeling and simulation tools for high-energy laser safety applications

Peter Alan Smith, David A. Van Veldhuizen, Kenneth S. Keppler

Proceedings Volume 4367, Enabling Technology for Simulation Science V; (2001) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.440053
Event: Aerospace/Defense Sensing, Simulation, and Controls, 2001, Orlando, FL, United States

Abstract

As laser systems with increasingly higher energy are developed for military applications, the difficulty of the laser safety problem increases proportionally. The hazard distance for the direct beam can be in the order of thousands of miles, and the potential exists for radiation reflected from the target to be hazardous over long distances. It then becomes impractical to contain the laser beam within the confines of test ranges. This, together with a rapidly changing environment with fast moving laser source and target, has led to the requirement for an integrated modeling and simulation tool to perform the complex series of calculations which are needed to ensure the safe testing and use of these lasers outdoors. The Laser Range Safety Tool (LRST) is being developed to meet this requirement. LRST predicts laser intensity distributions in the physical space surrounding an illuminated target and provides a highly interactive and graphical visualization of the scenario geometry, scattered intensity, and potential hazard zones. A comprehensive validation and verification program involving measurements during high-energy laser range tests is also being undertaken. The inclusion of models for stochastic processes such as aiming and tracking errors, atmospheric turbulence, and risk criteria is also being considered to extend the tools to provide quantitative risk assessment data to support risk management decisions. Finally, as high-energy laser programs move out of the testing phase to training and operational deployment, tools such as these can be enhanced and integrated into real time mission planning and commanders' decision aids.

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Peter Alan Smith, David A. Van Veldhuizen, and Kenneth S. Keppler "Modeling and simulation tools for high-energy laser safety applications", Proc. SPIE 4367, Enabling Technology for Simulation Science V, (19 September 2001); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.440053

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