Free-Electron Laser Produces 14.2-kW Beam in the IR

The free-electron laser supported by the Office of Naval Research in Arlington, Va., has achieved 14.2 kW of average power at a wavelength of 1.61 μm. Located at the US Department of Energy’s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility in Newport News, Va., the device also is funded by the Naval Sea Systems Command, the Air Force Research Laboratory, the Joint Technology Office and the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Navy has an interest in the IR wavelength for the transmission of light through the marine atmosphere and for materials science applications. The new capability will enhance applications such as shipboard antimissile defense, manufacturing technologies and the support of scientific studies.