Recent progress on single frequency lasers for space and high altitude aircraft applications

The use of lidars in ground, airborne, and space-based missions can provide earth and planetary science measurements that were previously unavailable. Our approach to the laser transmitters needed for such systems focuses on developing environmentally hardened prototypes whose designs can be validated in fielded ground and airborne remote sensing systems before being used in space-based missions. We are applying this approach to the development of the injection seeded single frequency lasers that will be needed for a number of the next generation of airborne and space-based lidar systems. In this paper we describe our most current version of a single frequency Nd:YAG laser that is designed for use in an unpressurized, high altitude aircraft. It is capable of providing two 20 W 1064 nm output beams at 200 Hz. Temperature controlled ovens that hold the nonlinear crystals needed for frequency doubling and tripling are included in the output path of one of the beams.