SC200 Laser Remote Sensing

Sunday, May 16, 2010
9:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.
Timothy Carrig, Phillip Gatt; Lockheed Martin, USA
Level: Advanced Beginner (basic understanding of topic is necessary to follow course material)


Course Description

This course will provide an introduction to laser remote sensing suitable for students with a bachelor’s degree in science or engineering. It will provide an overview of key laser remote sensing techniques, focusing on applications, system design, detection techniques, basic theory, performance modeling and practical hardware considerations. Several system design examples will be provided to illustrate key concepts.

The course will describe the fundamentals of lidar and ladar systems. The lidar systems discussion will focus on coherent and direct detection Doppler wind lidars, differential absorption, laser induced fluorescence and Raman lidar systems. The ladar discussions will focus on 3-D imaging, velocity and vibrometry. Coherent and direct detection techniques will be compared and contrasted. Detection statistics and measurement errors will be reviewed. The effects of atmospheric attenuation and turbulence, target reflectivity and speckle on measurements will be discussed. Laser radar system modeling techniques will be provided, including a description of key laser radar equations, performance metrics and system efficiency calculations. Hardware discussions will include laser considerations/requirements, transceiver design, platform constraints, system calibration and single-pixel vs. imaging systems. Telescopes, transmit and receive optics, laser sources, detectors, and signal processor requirements and trades will be explained.

The goal is to provide the attendee with an understanding of the capabilities of laser-based sensing, a framework for system development work, and useful references to aid further study.


Benefits and Learning Objectives

This course should enable you to:

  • Understand the differences between the various types of laser radar systems.
  • Understand laser radar fundamentals with emphasis on back-of-the-envelope equations and physical interpretation.
  • Understand key differences between direct and coherent detection.
  • Understand the differences between hard and soft targets and their corresponding laser radar signatures.
  • Conduct first-order systems level trade studies.
  • Develop component-level laser radar system designs.
  • Have knowledge of key references and texts for further investigation.

Intended Audience

This course is intended for individuals with a bachelor’s degree in physics or engineering. Prior knowledge of laser radar is not required but would be useful. Participants should have a basic knowledge of optics, applied mathematics and statistics.


Biography

Timothy Carrig is director of research and development at Lockheed Martin Coherent Technologies (LMCT). The division specializes in laser-based remote sensing systems for commercial and military markets. Division areas of expertise include phenomenology, laser radar system modeling and architecture studies, transmitter development, prototype transceiver development and testing, and ground and airborne ladar field work. Carrig holds a doctorate in applied physics from Cornell University and previously worked at Los Alamos National Lab. Carrig has approximately 70 citations in scientific literature, holds three US patents and serves on several conference program committees.

Phillip Gatt is the principal research scientist and technical fellow at LMCT. He has 19 years of laser radar experience at LMCT and CREOL and 10 years of teaching experience at the University of Central Florida. Gatt specializes in laser radar systems analysis and design, laser remote sensing, propagation of laser beams through atmospheric turbulence, optical detection theory, Fourier and statistical optics, modeling and simulation. His expertise covers both coherent and direct detection laser radar systems for a variety of applications. He holds a doctorate in electrical engineering from the University of Central Florida and has published approximately 75 technical papers related to laser radar systems.