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NSWC Crane Scientist Briefs Defense Science Board

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS120830-41
8/30/2012

From Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Public Affairs

CRANE, Ind. (NNS) -- The chief scientist at Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division (NSWC Crane), briefed the Defense Science Board (DSB) at MIT Draper Labs in Cambridge, Mass., Aug. 23, regarding his work in ultra short pulsed lasers (USPL).

"This is a unique honor to be recognized as an expert in the field of USPL," said Dr. Gerald C. Manke II. "I'm honored to have briefed the distinguished board in a technology area that I have been working in for about eight years. The work we are doing with USPL allows us to address challenges in the technology as well as assess current commercial advances in the field. Certainly, the Department of Defense is interested in game-changing technology of which I believe USPL will be in addressing the threats of tomorrow."

USPLs are lasers that deliver energy in extremely short bursts. The time scale for the pulses is measured in femtoseconds, or one quadrillionth of a second. They have very low average power of only a few watts, but have enormous peak power ranging from gigawatts up to terawatts. They are particularly useful for cutting materials without depositing any heat, a process known as athermal ablation. Commercial companies are currently investigating USPLs with applications in the medical field for cardiovascular devices all the way to advanced manufacturing of hard-to-machine, heat sensitive materials.

Manke has been very active in the pursuit and development of applications for USPLs for the DoD.

"There are a lot of unique physics that occur when you hit matter with ultra short pulses of light," said Manke. "I believe we can use some of those effects for a variety of important missions."

Manke was contacted by the DSB as a national leader in USPL technology initiatives, which includes ongoing work on a project called the "DSB Study on Technology and Innovation Enablers for Superiority in 2030." The DSB is chartered to provide the Secretary of Defense, the Deputy Secretary of Defense, the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, and others independent advice and recommendations on scientific, technical, manufacturing, acquisition process, and other matters of special interest to the Department of Defense.

NSWC Crane is a naval laboratory and a field activity of Naval Sea Systems Command with focus areas in special mission, strategic missions and electronic warfare/information operations. The Warfare Center's research and development efforts support the warfighter by providing capabilities and resources to advance technologies for the military.