And are American lives being lost needlessly because of it? This is from July
www.llnl.gov/IPandC/technology/profile/announcement/HighPowerHeatCapacityLaser.php LAWRENCE LIVERMORE NATIONAL LABORATORY SEEKS TO LICENSE THE TECHNOLOGY FOR A HIGH POWER HEAT CAPACITY LASER Announcement: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), operated by the University of California under contract with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), desires to license the technology for a high power Heat Capacity Laser. In addition, LLNL would welcome the opportunity to engage in cooperative research (CRADA) with commercial partner(s) interested in developing the technology.
Researchers at LLNL have developed a successful pulsed high energy solid state laser that produces high average output power by operating in a mode that separates the operation (heating) and cooling cycles (i.e. in a heat capacity limited regime). Instead of employing continuous cooling, the laser operates until the active amplifier medium heats up to some maximum acceptable temperature. This approach eliminates much of the wavefront distortion normally associated with the thermal gradients created by the cooling process. The waste heat is temporarily accumulated in the active amplifier medium itself. Therefore, the amount of energy the laser can put out with minimal optical wavefront distortion is proportional to its mass, the heat capacity of the active medium, and the temperature difference over which it is being operated. Cooling takes place when the laser is not operating.
In addition, researchers at LLNL have invented a normal incidence stack architecture. The laser design uses this architecture with diode array pumping to achieve increased power/energy per disk, a reduction in beam distortions by orders of magnitude, improved beam propagation, and improved packaging.
Finally the laser technology employs a wavefront control system that operates within the laser optical cavity. The unstable resonator design includes a deformable mirror and other control elements to optimize far field beam quality while the laser operates.
LLNL has a tabletop laser demonstrating high average power and high beam quality. The laser is already reaching 10-kilowatts of average power. The ultimate goal is to produce 100-kilowatt prototypes in 2006-07. The laser is capable of firing bursts of 500-microsecond long pulses, at a 200 Hertz repetition rate, with a 2000 to 4000 shot magazine and fast gain media exchange for reload capability. The system is compact in design enabling mounting on a truck (e.g. Humvee). The system is intended for field deployment primarily against rockets, artillery and mortars but has other uses such as remote land mine uncovering and deflagration.
LLNL has one issued U.S. patent (5,526,372) and several patent applications relating to this technology.
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Two such units exist, one has been to Afghanistan, but they are mounted on unarmored Humvees.
www.zeus.sparta.com/overview.htmlWhy has there not been a crash program to equip more vheicles with these and send them to Iraq to destroy IEDs? One placed at the head of a convoy could simply fry all suspicious looking objects, pieces of trash, and discolored/overturned earth and patched asphalt that conceal mines and IEDs.
I thought that it was just because the laser was not powerful enough to get to deliberately buried mines. But this LLNL release says that isnt so:
www.llnl.gov/llnl/06news/NewsReleases/2004/NR-04-07-02.html Clearing land mines
A team of laser scientists and engineers has built upon LLNL's Solid-State Heat Capacity Laser, which is designed to destroy mortars and missiles in short-range battlefield defense.
The new diode-pumped pulsed laser can be used to uncover and safely neutralize buried land mines, which are a worldwide problem. Today, there are an estimated 100 million land mines spread throughout 70 nations.
With an output power of more than 10,000 watts, making it the most powerful diode-pumped solid-state laser in the world, the laser is fired in a pulsed mode, producing a peak power of up to half a million watts. When aimed at a buried mine, this high peak power rapidly heats the ground, causing it to burst aside and expose the mine. Digging rates are up to 40 centimeters per second. Once exposed, the mine is benignly burned out rather than dangerously exploded.
The laser is compact and fits on a vehicle. This advance allows land mines to be safely neutralized at up to a quarter mile away without the need to expose it manually. Attempts to expose mines manually result statistically in one death for every 5,000 successfully neutralized mine. Other laser-based mine-clearing approaches have had to rely on personnel to go out into the field and dangerously expose the mine before a laser or explosive means can be used.
Another advantage is that the laser significantly reduces the problem of false positives, since the object under examination - a land mine, rock or other debris - can be destroyed in seconds. It is now practical to check all questionable buried items since a mine field can be rapidly checked.
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Since it can burrow through dirt at that rate even deliberately buried devices are accessable. Since the devices will be burned up rather than exploded, there will be no cratering of roads, or blast/shrapnel damage to surrounding civilian residences.
Are just not enough people aware that this technology exists? What is the deal? This should be a crash program to get into the field, though mounted in a Bradley, M113 or Stryker rather than a Humvee to keep from losing them to RPGs.
Also there needs to be greater effort to get the MTHEL into service to guard bases in Iraq from mortar and rocket attack.
Its not technology that is lacking but means of production, and that is something that CAN be fixed by throwing money at it. There needs to be a greater effort to get this out there as soon as possible. Even if the systems are slightly buggy.