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Physical Sciences Inc. (PSI) has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Navy to develop a fast-acting, variable-ratio beam splitter to distribute laser power from a directed-energy weapon system to different points aboard Navy warships.
PSI will develop and test a large-aperture, high-power, polarization-insensitive, variable beamsplitter capable of transmitting 300 kW of continuous-wave (CW) power with sub-millisecond switching speeds by leveraging Frustrated Total Internal Reflection. PSI has chosen this design due to its advantages of fast switching speed and relatively low SWaP in comparison to other technologies after evaluating several alternative designs. PSI proposes methods to mitigate risks such as optical surface contamination, and optical contact bonding. In the Phase I base program, PSI will build a subscale demonstrator in order to test the effectiveness of these mitigation strategies, thereby reducing risk before building a full scale prototype in the Phase II program. In the Phase I option, PSI will prepare a detailed mechanical design of the Phase II prototype and order the long lead time optical prisms necessary for such a device.
For more information contact:
Dr. Joel Hensley
Vice President, Photonics Enterprise
hensley@psicorp.com
Physical Sciences Inc.
Office: (978) 689-0003
Acknowledgement of Sponsorship: This work is supported under a contract with the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA). This support does not constitute an express or implied endorsement on the part of the Government.