SBIR-STTR Award

New photoactivated optical materials and devices are needed for many high-performance applications and are generally very costly and time-consuming to develop. The Air Force, for example, needs new optical materials in order to protect personnel, sensors and satellites from intense laser beams. Many other military and non-military applications, such as light-based medical diagnostics and therapies and the design of new optical devices, also require a detailed understanding of the linear and non-linear interactions of light with materials. Computer-aided design software can greatly reduce the time and money needed for the development process. In order to simplify computer modeling of light-material interactions, the feasibility of developing new simulation algorithms that are based on a modular approach with be investigated. The proposed approach can allow general purpose algorithms to be constructed that can be easily modified to account for changing optical material properties such as additional energy levels or additional excitation or relaxation pathways.

Keywords:
Optical Materials, Laser, Ultrashort Laser Pulses, Computer Aided Design, Nonlinear Optics, Software

Sophisticated optical computer-aided-design (CAD) software is needed to greatly reduce the time and money required to design new optical materials and devices.  For example, new optical materials are desired in order to protect personnel and sensors from intense laser beams.  Many other military and non-military applications, such as laser communications, light-based medical diagnostics and therapies and the design of new optical devices, also require a detailed understanding of the linear and nonlinear interactions of light with materials that can be obtained by utilizing optical CAD software.  Phase I demonstrated the feasibility of designing optical CAD software that divides the computation of complicated light-matter interactions into a series of simple modules or blocks.  Each block is related to a single optical excitation or relaxation process in the material.  This modular approach can greatly simplify computer modeling of light-material interactions.  In Phase II, prototype computer software based on this modular approach will be developed, tested and validated by comparison to experimental results.  The new software will have a general purpose computational algorithm and a graphical user interface (GUI) that allows material and experimental input parameters to be easily modified.

Benefit:
Anticipated benefits include the development of prototype engineering and scientific computer-aided-design (CAD) software that can be utilized by the Air Force, other branches of the Department of Defense, research institutions and industry. The software can be used to design and/or analyze optical materials and devices for the protection of personnel and equipment from intense laser beams and for applications in medical diagnostics, therapeutics and biosensors that utilize lasers or other light sources.  The software can greatly reduce the time and cost of the R&D effort.

Keywords:
Optical Materials, Laser, Ultrashort Laser Pulses, Computer Aided Design, Nonlinear Optics, Software