Ultrashort laser pulses in laser countermeasures and sensor applications

Ultrashort laser pulses are a technology area which has developed very rapidly during the last ten years. New lasers and commercial systems capable of generating peak power in the terawatt region have made the technology more available. Ultrashort laser pulses are usually defined as laser pulses having duration in the femtosecond region. These pulses give rise to new interesting phenomena that can be utilised in military applications. This report contains a study of femtosecond laser technology for military and civilian applications. The focus is on new phenomena and methods of interest for laser and electro-optical countermeasures. A survey covering basic principles, technology and physical phenomena of relevance for countermesures is presented. New possibilities for applications such as e.g. imaging and remote sensing are discussed. A survey of the activities presented in the literature is included in the report. The objective of the report is to propose activities within the area to study new phenomena which can provide completely new capabilities in military applications.