Independent Physics Laser Study

Cadets Nolan Hedglin, Tina Le and Pete Meyer presented their work measuring the hole formation in metals due to a high energy laser. Their project measures the high energy laser beam properties and measures how that laser beam burns through a piece of steel using high speed and infrared cameras. The results will be incorporated into high energy laser weapons development models to help inform how the lasers can be best used to defend against unmanned aerial systems. The work is sponsored by the Joint Directed Energy Transition Office, the US Army Space and Missile Defense Command, and the Army Research Office.