Optimal laser beam diamter to fully cover laser wobble
May 14, 2017 21:10:04 GMT
apophys, argonbalt, and 4 more like this
Post by zuthal on May 14, 2017 21:10:04 GMT
Vance, on the Discord chat (his forum nickname eludes me currently) has figured out that the inherent wobble of lasers in-game has a diameter of 2.5 mm/km. Both the width of that wobble and the width of the laser beam are linearly proportional to range, and so there is one single optimum mirror radius for each wavelength that leads to the laser beam radius and wobble radius being equal at all ranges - and thus the laser always hitting the target.
This is calculated by solving the equation P/I/((1.25 mm)^2*π) for I, where P is your laser's beam power, and I is the intensity at 1 km that you should aim for. For example, for a 724 kW beam power laser, the optimal intensity at 1 km distance is 147.5 GW/m^2, which, for a 77 nm Ce:LLF laser, corresponds to an aperture radius of 12.4 cm.
EDIT: I did some science with other laser wavelengths, and the relationship between optimal aperture radius and wavelength is proportional, with a proportionality constant of 0.1607 cm/nm. So, just multiply your wavelength in nm by 0.1607, and you have the mirror radius in cm that will make the beam radius just as wide as the laser wobble! Note: This assumes an M^2 of 3.00. Results may contain traces of cerium-doped lithium lutetium fluoride.
This is calculated by solving the equation P/I/((1.25 mm)^2*π) for I, where P is your laser's beam power, and I is the intensity at 1 km that you should aim for. For example, for a 724 kW beam power laser, the optimal intensity at 1 km distance is 147.5 GW/m^2, which, for a 77 nm Ce:LLF laser, corresponds to an aperture radius of 12.4 cm.
EDIT: I did some science with other laser wavelengths, and the relationship between optimal aperture radius and wavelength is proportional, with a proportionality constant of 0.1607 cm/nm. So, just multiply your wavelength in nm by 0.1607, and you have the mirror radius in cm that will make the beam radius just as wide as the laser wobble! Note: This assumes an M^2 of 3.00. Results may contain traces of cerium-doped lithium lutetium fluoride.
