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Architecture for Diode High Energy Laser Systems (ADHELS)
Program Manager: Dr. Joseph Mangano
DARPA's Architecture for Diode High Energy Laser Systems (ADHELS) is a program dedicated to investigating spectral laser beam combining architectures to produce a new generation of compact high energy, high efficiency laser systems. The program aims to develop a technology to produce high power, high brightness laser beams in an architecture that is readily scalable to power levels of military interest by combining the output high-power, high-efficiency, single-mode fiber lasers into a single coherent, high brightness beam. ADHELS addresses laser beam combining efficiency with the added challenge of maintaining the high beam quality and low beam divergence expected for tactical applications.
The program is structured as a 36-month, two phase program to develop efficient laser beam combining approaches for high energy laser (HEL) systems. While ADHELS Phase 1 explored both coherent and spectral beam combining, Phase 2 is solely focused on the spectral beam combining of high-power, high-efficiency, single-mode lasers. The end-of-program goal is the demonstration of a near-diffraction-limited system architecture, operating at laser wavelength(s) corresponding to efficient atmospheric transmission, and readily scalable to a 100-kilowatt-class HEL system.