An overview of Broadband Laser Ranging Architecture and Measurement Considerations

Broadband Laser Ranging (BLR) is a developmental diagnostic intended to measure the position of rapidly moving surfaces in combination with optical velocimetry. Design and employment of a BLR diagnostic on dynamic experiments requires consideration for both the inherent measurement system tradeoffs as well as architectural choices appropriate to the nature of investigation.~ The diagnostic uses spectral interferometry to measure distance by mapping femtosecond laser pulses to the time domain via chromatic dispersion within the fiber-optic architecture. The system parameters and governing equations that describe measurement range, resolution, and Doppler sensitivity will be discussed.~ We will also briefly review the impact of diagnostic architectural choices including: nature of interferometer, Interferometric dispersion matching, optical amplification, integration of optical velocimetry, BLR calibration, and field operability.~ To summarize we will present the architectural and operational approach currently being pursued by NSTec within an on-going collaboration between NSTec, Lawrence Livermore and Los Alamos National Labs.