Post by dv2 on Mar 6, 2017 9:37:08 GMT
Well COADE has taught more about science than I ever could have thought possible.
I guess I wanted to start some database of info about lasers including arc lamps, cooling fluids, mirrors, lenses, you name it.
I wanted to start with some diagrams of high energy laser energy directed weapons to try to see what's going on practically.
Not really sure what I want to do with this. But here we go.
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1. There are many ways of "excitation" which is exciting the atoms involved to emit light, such as chemically, with diodes, arc lamps, etc.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laser_pumping
The way the initial light is created is not relevant, but the wavelength of that light is very important.
2. This light is passed through a lasing crystal, such as Ruby and it's very important that the initial light provided match up with the wavelength the lasing crystal will accept.
The light is passed through the lasing crystal many times, until it exists the envelope of the laser.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Active_laser_medium
3. This light can then be passed through a nonlinear crystal which doubles or quadruples the frequency.
A higher frequency often means that the laser will do more damage on a target.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nonlinear_optics
4. From there the beam is passed through a beam control system.
The beam control system transmit the beam from the laser itself to the turret or mount where it will be fired from.
It can also adjust the beam and improve the overall beam quality.
www.northropgrumman.com/Capabilities/LaserTechnology/Pages/BeamControl.aspx
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adaptive_optics
5. From there the beam goes to the turret or mount where it exits the focusing mirror, and the beam is focused on the target kind of like a telescope would be.
The beam has to be "in focus" to be most effective.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laser_construction
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Been working on understanding how the beam is directed from the laser to the turrets and how the turrets work.
At first I thought the entire ball must move along two axis like an eyeball, but I couldn't figure it out.
So I started digging and finally started to get closer to reality.
It started when I realized the whole turret must turn, including the housing, or else the mirrors can't line up properly.
So the "ball" of the turret only moves along one axis, that allows us to aim along one axis, and then the whole
turret rolls allowing us to move along the other axis.
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Once I figured that out, I started to search on that basis and found that the info I was looking for was on the great Atomic Rockets Website
the entire time!
It looks like our laser turrets ingame are basically an almost exact copy of the Airborne Laser Project in form with the addition of more armor etc.
web.archive.org/web/20080731192858/http://www.boeing.com/defense-space/military/abl/index.html
So this actually helps a lot, because there is tons of online info about this laser system and how its beam distribution system and turret systems work.
At least seven mirrors are needed in the turret to have full pitch and yaw including the prefocusing mirror/ beam expander and the focusing mirror/ primary mirror.
This approach also explains the "notch" we see below on the side of the tube. The "ball" of the turret moves only one axis, but the entire tube and ball move as one "rolling" to get yaw allowing for a total cone of fire.
"Ball" Laser Turrets
Beam Directors (From the laser to the Turret)
I guess I wanted to start some database of info about lasers including arc lamps, cooling fluids, mirrors, lenses, you name it.
I wanted to start with some diagrams of high energy laser energy directed weapons to try to see what's going on practically.
Not really sure what I want to do with this. But here we go.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. There are many ways of "excitation" which is exciting the atoms involved to emit light, such as chemically, with diodes, arc lamps, etc.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laser_pumping
The way the initial light is created is not relevant, but the wavelength of that light is very important.
2. This light is passed through a lasing crystal, such as Ruby and it's very important that the initial light provided match up with the wavelength the lasing crystal will accept.
The light is passed through the lasing crystal many times, until it exists the envelope of the laser.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Active_laser_medium
3. This light can then be passed through a nonlinear crystal which doubles or quadruples the frequency.
A higher frequency often means that the laser will do more damage on a target.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nonlinear_optics
4. From there the beam is passed through a beam control system.
The beam control system transmit the beam from the laser itself to the turret or mount where it will be fired from.
It can also adjust the beam and improve the overall beam quality.
www.northropgrumman.com/Capabilities/LaserTechnology/Pages/BeamControl.aspx
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adaptive_optics
5. From there the beam goes to the turret or mount where it exits the focusing mirror, and the beam is focused on the target kind of like a telescope would be.
The beam has to be "in focus" to be most effective.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laser_construction
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Been working on understanding how the beam is directed from the laser to the turrets and how the turrets work.
At first I thought the entire ball must move along two axis like an eyeball, but I couldn't figure it out.
So I started digging and finally started to get closer to reality.
It started when I realized the whole turret must turn, including the housing, or else the mirrors can't line up properly.
So the "ball" of the turret only moves along one axis, that allows us to aim along one axis, and then the whole
turret rolls allowing us to move along the other axis.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Once I figured that out, I started to search on that basis and found that the info I was looking for was on the great Atomic Rockets Website
the entire time!
It looks like our laser turrets ingame are basically an almost exact copy of the Airborne Laser Project in form with the addition of more armor etc.
web.archive.org/web/20080731192858/http://www.boeing.com/defense-space/military/abl/index.html
So this actually helps a lot, because there is tons of online info about this laser system and how its beam distribution system and turret systems work.
At least seven mirrors are needed in the turret to have full pitch and yaw including the prefocusing mirror/ beam expander and the focusing mirror/ primary mirror.
This approach also explains the "notch" we see below on the side of the tube. The "ball" of the turret moves only one axis, but the entire tube and ball move as one "rolling" to get yaw allowing for a total cone of fire.
"Ball" Laser Turrets
Beam Directors (From the laser to the Turret)
it used to show circles and rectangles in the turret portion of the designer in the bottom, qswitched might've removed that because it was kinda useless but I do remember there being 3 wheels visable, also visable in gimbaled rocket motors.
