Space Environmental Effects, and Lidar Reliability and Expected Lifetimes
Chair: Floyd Hovis (Fibertec, Inc., USA) - Co-Chair: Georgios Tzeremes (European Space Research and Technology Centre of the European Space Agency - ESA/ESTEC)
The use of lidar systems for the space-based active remote sensing of the earth can provide data sets that are unavailable through more conventional techniques, but these laser-based active techniques also face a number of technical challenges. One in particular, the long term reliability of a number of key laser components (diodes, optics, optical coatings, ….) in the vacuum and radiation environment of space, is not as well understood as in the low-radiation, high pressure environment on earth. Due to the relatively high power requirement of many lidar systems, thermal control of space-based lidar systems also presents some unique challenges. In this session we are soliciting papers that address the long term reliability and thermal control of lasers in space. The general topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following.
- Laser-induced optical damage in vacuum
- High damage threshold optical coatings
- Laser-induced contamination damage in vacuum
- Long-lived UV optics and coatings
- Novel substrate materials and their coatings
- Lifetime testing of optical components and coatings
- Radiation effects on optics and coatings
- High stability contaminant free mechanical mounts and techniques
- New concepts for cooling of laser optics and electronics in space
- Radiation hardened active and passive optical fibers
