Optics facilities in FL
2 facilities
Electrooptics and Millimeter Wave Lab
Eglin AFB, FL
Research to date has resulted in the flight testing of a small correlator on a model airplane. Test results show the capability of an optical processor to recognize mobile targets in real time. Under development is a seeker system combining laser radar and optical processing to show the capability of optical processing for use in laser systems. Other research has focused on development of optical modulator technology and application of optical correlation to biological system identification such as cancer detection and blood analysis.
LADAR Development and Evaluation Research Facility (LDERF)
Eglin AFB, FL
The optics laboratories have four optical workbenches on isolated slabs of cement in two separate rooms. An indoor range allows LADAR experiments in a controlled environment. Motorized doors provide convenient access to the outdoor range. Numerous lasers are available for LADAR integration or other experiments, ranging from low power CW HeNe lasers to high pulse energy diode-pumped solid state lasers at a variety of wavelengths. Current research efforts at the LDERF utilize active imaging LADAR systems operating at wavelengths from the visible through the near infrared. The performance of optical detectors such as the avalanche photodiode (APD) can be characterized in the optics laboratories.