Research Interest

Principal investigator for Laser Science and Engineering Laboratory at University of Alabama in Huntsville. Current funding is from NASA, NSF, AFOSR and USRA/BMDO. A current theme is design of lasers for beaming power at multi-megawatt levels from space to earth. One goal is to design lasers capable of handling this level of power for non-military applications that cannot be converted to military use. An experimental theme is examination of the influence of one-dimensional photonic band structures on short optical pulses (100 femtoseconds duration). Applications to optical beam steering are being explored. Experimental work is being carried out using a femtosecond modelocked Ti:sapphire laser and a regenerative amplifier for white light optical pulse generation. The white light optical pulses are used for the measurement of the dynamics of photonic band edge materials. We are also developing simulations of the group delay and phase delay of short pulses propagating through layered semiconductor structures and comparing the experimental observations of the photonic band edge materials with favorable results. We are developing designs for thin disk laser amplifiers intended to intense ultrashort optical pulses at high repetition rate. Work has also been done on harmonically modelocked optical fiber lasers, nonlinear loop modelocked optical fiber lasers, four wave mixing, and pairs of colliding pulse modelocked lasers synchronized and phase locked by nonlinear coupling.

Degrees

• BS Physics (summa cum laude), Principia College, Elsah, IL 1957.
• PhD Physics, Mass. Inst. Of Tech. (MIT), Cambridge, Mass. 1962.

Recent Publications

Richard Fork, “Mitigation of Orbital Debris Using Minimum Uncertainty States” Proceedings of the IEEE, May 2009.

Richard L. Fork and EE/OPE 451 and EE/OPE 453 students, “Laser Power Beaming Demo- Preliminary Design Review”, Space Power Transmission Workshop Teleconference,  November 6, 2008, (presentation by telcon/transmitted slides).

Richard L. Fork and EE/OPE 451 and EE/OPE 453 students, “Adaptive Network for Power and Information in Near Earth Space”, Space Power Transmission Workshop, Orlando, FL October 1, 2008.

Richard Fork, Nick Cote, Luke Burgess, “White Light Femtosecond Lasers: Defense and Evolving Capability”, September 4, 2008, Sixth Ultrashort Pulse Laser Workshop, Boulder, Colorado.

Richard L. Fork and Nick Cote, “In-Space Laser Power Beaming”, Space Power Transmission Workshop, Glenn Research Center, Cleveland OH, July 31, 2008 (presentation by telcon/transmitted slides).

Richard L. Fork, Spencer T. Cole, Mike L. Davenport, Luke A. Burgess, Douglas M. Ramey III, and Stephen G. Aiken “Employment of Ultrashort Pulses for Directed Energy,” Third Employment of Directed Energy Weapons Conference, 3-7 March 2008, Monterey, California.

Richard L. Fork, Luke A. Burgess, Mike L. Davenport, Douglas M. Ramey, Patrick J. Reardon, David B. Pollock, Robert G. Lindquist, and Donna M. Fork, “Cohering of multiple polariton lasers for sensing applications,” SPIE Defense and Security Conference, Orlando, FL 17-20 March 2008.

Richard L. Fork, Patrick J. Reardon, Mike L. Davenport, Spencer T. Cole, Luke A. Burgess, and S. Gordon Aiken, “Multi-Confocal Paraboloidal Resonator,” Directed Energy Symposium in Huntsville, AL November 7, 2007.

Richard L. Fork, Patrick J. Reardon, Spencer T. Cole, Luke A. Burgess, and S. Gordon Aiken, “Compact Monolithic Terawatt Laser,” Directed Energy Symposium in Huntsville, AL November 7, 2007.

"Converting Sunlight to Coherent Light for Defending Earth and Exploring Space," Richard L. Fork, Rustin L. Laycock, Spencer T. Cole, S. Gordon Aiken, and Blake J. Anderton, Space Technology and Applications International Forum, Feb 11-15, Albuquerque, NM (2007).

"Ultrafast phenomena and technology in relation to detecting, characterizing and mitigating potentially hazardous asteroids," Richard L. Fork, Spencer T. Cole, Blake Anderton and Stephen G. Aiken, Postdeadline poster paper, Ultrafast Phenomena XV Conference, Asilomar, CA, July 31-Aug 4 (2006).

"Deflection of Asteroids Using Optical Pulses Generated from Sunlight," (Invited Paper), Richard L. Fork and Spencer T. Cole, NASA Near-Earth Object Detection and Threat Mitigation Study, Vail, Colorado, June 26-29, 2006.

"Surface High Energy Laser", Richard L. Fork, Rustin L. Laycock, Wesley W. Walker, Spencer T. Cole, Sean D. Moultrie, Dane J. Phillips, John C. Reinhardt, Invited Paper, Proceedings of the IEEE, 93, 1864-1873 (2005).

"Technology Demonstrations and Flight Experiments Validating an Optical Energy Infrastructure for Earth-Moon Space", Dane J. Phillips, Rustin L. Laycock, Richard L. Fork, Spencer T. Cole, Wesley W. Walker, Sean D. Moultrie, and John C. Reinhardt, 56th International Astronautical Congress, Oct 17-21, 2005 Fukuoka, Japan. (Invited to be published in Astra Astronautica)

"Novel Space-Based Solar Power Technologies and Architectures for Earth and Beyond", Joe T. Howell, Mark J. O'Neill, John C. Fikes, and Richard L. Fork, 56th International Astronautical Congress, Oct 17-21, 2005, Fukuoka, Japan.

"Optical Power Infrastructure for Earth-Moon Space", Richard L. Fork, Wesley W. Walker, Rustin L. Laycock, Dane J. Phillips,, Spencer T. Cole, Benjamin S. Yeske ,Sean D. Moultrie, John C. Reinhardt, International Space Development Conference, Washington DC, May 18-21 (2005).

"Diamond/Sapphire Gain Element", Richard L. Fork, Wesley W. Walker, Spencer T. Cole, Rustin L. Laycock, Dane J. Phillips, Kevin B. Frederick, and Jason J.A. Green, High Energy Laser Joint Technology Office Service/Agency Projects FY04 Review, Albuquerque, NM, May 3-5, 2005.

"Efficient Direct Conversion of Sunlight to Coherent Light at High Average Power in Space," Richard L. Fork, Rustin L. Laycock, Dane J. Phillips, Wesley W. Walker, Spencer T. Cole, Sean D. Moultrie, and John C. Reinhardt, NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts Meeting, Atlanta, GA March 16, 2005.

"Optical Power for Human and Robotic Exploration of Space," Richard L. Fork, Wesley W. Walker, Rustin L. Laycock, Dane J. Phillips, Spencer T. Cole, Kevin B. Frederick, and Sean D. Moultrie, Xerox Palo Alto Research Center, Applied Technology Group Meeting, Palo Alto, CA Jan 6, 2005.

"High-Energy Space Power Infrastructure Using Coherent Light," Richard L. Fork, Wesley W. Walker, Rustin L. Laycock, Dane J. Phillips, Spencer T. Cole, Kevin B. Frederick, and Sean D. Moultrie, NASA Capability Meeting, Washington, DC, Nov 29-30, 2004.

"Efficient Direct Conversion of Sunlight to Coherent Light at High Average Power in Space," Richard L. Fork, Rustin L. Laycock, Dane J. Phillips, Wesley W. Walker, Spencer T. Cole, Kevin B. Frederick, and Sean D. Moultrie, NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts Meeting, Seattle, WA, Oct. 19-20, 2004.

"Efficient Direct Conversion of Sunlight to Coherent Light at Multi-Kilowatt Average Power for Power Beaming in Near Earth Space," Richard L. Fork, Wesley W. Walker, Rustin L. Laycock, Dane J. Phillips, Spencer T. Cole, Kevin B. Frederick, Sean D. Moultrie, and Jason J. A. Green, International Astronautical Conference, Vancouver British Columbia, Oct 3-7, 2004.

"Advanced Receiver/Converter Experiments for Laser Wireless Power Transmission," Joe T. Howell, Mark J. O'Neill, Richard L. Fork, Solar Power from Space Conference, Granada, Spain, June 28-July 3 1, 2004.

"Solar pumped high power solid state laser for space applications," Richard L. Fork, Rustin L. Laycock, Wesley W. Walker, Jason J. A. Green, Spencer T. Cole, Dane J. Phillips, and Kevin B. Fredericks, Solar Power from Space Conference, Granada, Spain, June 28-July 3, 2004.

"Lasers for Space Solar Power," Richard L. Fork, Rustin L. Laycock, Wesley W. Walker, Jason J. A. Green, Spencer T. Cole, Dane J. Phillips, Kevin B. Fredericks, Great Lakes Photonics Symposium, Cleveland Ohio, June 7-11, 2004.

"Efficient Photovoltaic Receiver for both Laser Power and Solar Power," Dane J. Phillips, Richard Fork, Rustin Laycock, Mark J. O'Neill, Great Lakes Photonics Symposium, Cleveland Ohio, June 7-11, 2004.

"Diamond/Sapphire Gain Element," Richard L. Fork, Wesley W. Walker, Spencer T. Cole, Rustin L. Laycock, Dane J. Phillips, Kevin B. Frederick, and Jason J.A. Green, High Energy Laser Joint Technology Office Service/Agency Projects FY04 Review, Albuquerque, NM, May 3-5, 2004.

"Solar Pumped Solid State Lasers for Space Solar Power: Experimental Path," R. L. Fork, W.W. Walker, S.T. Cole, J.J.A. Green, R.L. Laycock, C.K. Carrington, 54th Inter-national Astronautical Congress, Bremen, Germany, October 2 (2003).

"High Average and Peak Power Integrated Laser for Propulsion," Richard L. Fork, Spencer T. Cole, Wesley W. Walker, Rustin L. Laycock, Jason J. A. Green, NASA/MSFC/JPL/UAH 14th Annual Advanced Space Propulsion Workshop (ASPW 2003), Huntsville, AL, April 16 (2003).

"High Peak Power High Average Power Lasers," Richard L. Fork, Spencer Cole, Wesley Walker, Rustin Laycock, and Jason Green, Joint UAH ECE and Physics Colloquium, January 28 (2003).

"Ultrafast Lasers for Space Solar Power," Richard L. Fork, Spencer Cole, Jason Green, Rustin Laycock, Wesley Walker, 6th Annual Southeast Coherent Spectroscopy and Ultrafast Conference, Gainesville, FL, Invited Plenary Talk, January 18 (2003).

"Unipolar Optical Pulse Generation and Beamed Optical Power for Lift-to-Orbit," Richard Fork, Mike Burleson, Wesley Walker, 1st International Symposium on Beamed Energy Propulsion, Huntsville, AL, 8:50 a.m., November 7 (2002).

"Solar Pumped Laser for Space Power," Richard L. Fork, Spencer T. Cole, Wesley W. Walker, Steven J. Anacker, Space Power Symposium Session IAC-02-R.2.07 of the 2002 World Space Congress, Houston, TX, Tuesday, October 16 (2002).

"High Energy lasers may put power in space," Richard L Fork, Laser Focus World, p.113-114, September (2001).

"Safe delivery of optical power from space," M.H. Smith, R.L. Fork, S.T. Cole, Optics Express 8, 537-546, May 07 (2001).