FULAS: high energy laser source for future LIDAR applications

Abstract

Reliable high energy laser sources had been proven in the past to be the bottle neck for space-borne LIDAR instruments. The presented FULAS laser optical design concept and the developed technologies define a technology baseline for a high variety of potential LIDAR applications. The technology provides a reliable space compatible system design, optimized with respect to lifetime and in especial laser induced contamination. The applied design principles and modularity allow proven energy scalability, flexible modes of operation and a manifold of opportunities for tailoring of the output wavelength. The concept, some details of the design and the potential for future application are addressed in this publication