This is an Open ARA announcement... AFRL/RD is interested in receiving white papers and proposals through a Two-Step Process... Dialogue between prospective Offerors and Government representatives is strongly encouraged.
Note: This is an AI-generated summary...
Summary
This document outlines the evaluation criteria for the Directed Energy Technology Experimentation Research (DETER) Advanced Research Announcement (ARA), a funding opportunity by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL). The program seeks proposals for research, development, prototyping, and testing of directed energy (DE) technologies to enhance national defense. Key technical areas include DE sources (lasers, HPEM), acquisition/tracking/pointing systems, integrated DE weapon systems, effects testing, modeling and simulation (MS&A), wargaming, and space domain awareness (SDA). Submissions are evaluated based on four weighted criteria: Overall Scientific/Technical Merit (30%), Soundness of Technical Approach (30%), Importance/Relevance to AFRL Programs (20%), and Value/Cost (20%). The rubric assesses the clarity of the problem being solved, the innovation and feasibility of the proposed solution, risk mitigation strategies, team experience, alignment with AFRL mission objectives, and the credibility of the cost estimate versus the expected impact.
Overall Technical Areas
Directed Energy SourcesHigh Power Electromagnetics (HPEM)Acquisition, Tracking & PointingBeam Control SystemsAtmospheric Compensation TechniquesDE Weapon Systems IntegrationPower & Thermal ManagementDE Effects & Lethality TestingModeling & Simulation (M&S)Physics-Based ModelingSpace Domain Awareness (SDA)Machine Learning AlgorithmsSensor Data FusionImage Processing & ExploitationField Experimentation & Testing
Probable LBNL Areas
CSAEESAESAETALDPSA
Focus Areas
Example Priorities:
This area covers the design, component/subsystem, prototype risk reduction, fabrication/purchase, assembly, integration, and testing of directed energy source components (to include spares and alternate component technologies), and/or systems and any required accessories, materials, and supplies for laboratory research and experimentation and field trials in a relevant environment to demonstrate system capabilities.
This area also covers the redesign, refurbishment, modification, and/or upgrade of existing sources, if required, to support laboratory experimentation, field or flight trials, and/or demonstrations.
This area covers the design, component/subsystem prototype risk reduction, fabrication/purchase, assembly, integration, and testing of any hardware, sensors, control electronics, and software/firmware required to develop ATP, BC and AC systems to control the propagation of directed energy so as to maximize energy/irradiance on target.
This area covers the design, component/subsystem prototype risk reduction, fabrication/purchase, assembly, integration, and testing of DE weapon components and systems, diagnostics, accessories, materials, supplies, and services necessary to build/integrate complete weapon systems for laboratory research, experimentation and field trials in a relevant environment to demonstrate system capabilities.
Specific Technical Skills:
Directed Energy SourcesLaser SourcesHigh Power Electromagnetics (HPEM)Acquisition Tracking Pointing (ATP)Beam Control (BC)Atmospheric Compensation (AC)Systems EngineeringPlatform IntegrationPrototype FabricationSubsystem Integration
Potential PIs for this Area:
Name
Score
Organization
Qiang Du
0.73
PSA | Engineering | Electronic Engineering
Siyun Chen
0.73
PSA | ATAP | BELLA Center
Vassilia Zorba
0.72
ETA | ESDR | Energy Storage & Dist Dpt
Antoine Islegen-Wojdyla
0.72
ESA | ALS | Photon Science Development
Mackinley Kath
0.72
PSA | ATAP | BELLA Center
Jeroen van Tilborg
0.71
PSA | ATAP | BELLA Center
Costas P. Grigoropoulos
0.71
ETA | ESDR | Energy Storage & Dist Dpt
Samuel Barber
0.71
PSA | ATAP | BELLA Center
Cameron Geddes
0.71
PSA | Physical Sciences | Accel Tech & AppPhysics
Soren Prestemon
0.71
PSA | Engineering | Mechanical Engineering
Example Priorities:
This area covers the development/procurement, testing, maintenance, modification, upgrade/reuse, and execution of scientific modeling, simulation and analysis software and requisite IT hardware systems necessary to efficiently execute software to support DE weapon system design, development, testing, and data analysis of test results.
MS&A software may include fast running engineering codes and detailed physics modeling codes.
In addition, sound principles for software engineering and development must be employed for all developed software and documentation.
As appropriate, software must scale to large simulation sizes and be portable to massively parallel computer architecture.
Specific Technical Skills:
Modeling and Simulation (M&S)Scientific Software DevelopmentHigh-Performance Computing (HPC)Physics ModelingData AnalysisSoftware EngineeringVerification and Validation (V&V)DE System Performance ModelingDE System Effects ModelingCampaign-Level Simulation
Potential PIs for this Area:
Name
Score
Organization
Alexander Sim
0.73
CSA | SciData | Data Science Research
Samuel Williams
0.72
CSA | AMCR | Computer Science
Edoardo Zoni
0.72
PSA | ATAP | Advanced Modeling Prog
Shawn Tornga
0.72
LD | LD | ONHS
Julien Esseiva
0.72
CSA | SciData | Data & Computational Science
Patrick Huck
0.71
ESA | MSD | Material Physics
Dhruva Kulkarni
0.71
CSA | NERSC | Sci Eng & Workflows Department
Khaled Ibrahim
0.71
CSA | AMCR | Computer Science
Deborah Bard
0.71
CSA | NERSC | Sci Eng & Workflows Department
Lisa Claus
0.71
CSA | NERSC | Sci Eng & Workflows Department
Example Priorities:
Provide testing of materials, components, subsystems, and systems to determine the vulnerability, susceptibility, and accessibility of potential DE targets to DE exposure.
Develop survivability requirements and recommendations for space systems and support vulnerability predictions.
This area covers the development/procurement, testing, maintenance, modification, upgrade/reuse, and execution of wargaming and scientific modeling, simulation and analysis software and their requisite IT hardware systems necessary to efficiently execute this software to support DE weapon system design, development, testing, and data analysis of wargaming results.
Provide general wargaming support to include DE wargame planning, table top, MS&A, and field execution, and wargame reporting.
Specific Technical Skills:
DE Effects TestingVulnerability AssessmentSusceptibility TestingWargamingTest Planning and ExecutionField TrialsMaterials ScienceComponent TestingRange TestingDE-material interaction physics
Potential PIs for this Area:
Name
Score
Organization
Nicolas Abgrall
0.72
PSA | NSD | ANP
Shawn Tornga
0.71
LD | LD | ONHS
Peter Hosemann
0.71
ESA | MSD | Material Physics
Jayson Vavrek
0.71
PSA | NSD | ANP
Boris Faybishenko
0.71
EESA | EG | Hydrogeology Dept
Reynold Cooper
0.71
PSA | NSD | ANP
Hannah Parrilla
0.70
PSA | NSD | ANP
Bethany Goldblum
0.70
PSA | NSD | Nuclear Data
David McCallen
0.70
EESA | EG | Geophysics Dept
Mauricio Ayllon Unzueta
0.70
PSA | ATAP | FS&IBT
Example Priorities:
Provide basic & applied research, algorithms, software/firmware, materials, supplies, and services necessary to conduct technology maturation for ground-based surveillance of space objects.
Active optical techniques for satellite ranging and characterization (e.g. LiDAR, LADAR).
Techniques, algorithms, architecture designs, etc. for collaborative autonomous telescope networks.
Machine learning algorithms to advance the state-of-the-art in areas such as: Point spread function correction, Space object image classification using resolved or non-resolved sensor imagery, Uncorrelated track association, Space object feature identification, model inference, and attitude regression.
Provide required ancillary support systems, equipment, materials, supplies, infrastructure, and services necessary to support the development, operation, maintenance, and testing required to evaluate DE through experimentation in the laboratory and field during trials or flight/range testing.
Clean rooms, anechoic chambers and necessary equipment, materials, supplies and/or services to support all aspects of DE source development, laboratory experimentation, and field trials.
Transportation: This area covers all transportation, to and from, various research facilities and sites to conduct field and/or flight experimentation, testing and/or trials of directed energy components, sub-systems and systems and demonstrations.
Thermal management components and systems, to include system-level and facility-level systems, necessary to support safe operations of DE sources.
Specific Technical Skills:
Laboratory ManagementTest InfrastructureDiagnostic EquipmentThermal ManagementPower SystemsClean Room OperationsLogistics and TransportationHazardous Material HandlingSafety EngineeringField Test Support
Potential PIs for this Area:
Name
Score
Organization
Merlin J Lopez
0.72
PSA | Engineering | Electronic Engineering
Mackinley Kath
0.71
PSA | ATAP | BELLA Center
Louis-Benoit Desroches
0.71
ETA | Energy Analysis & Env. Impacts | Energy Efficiency Studies
Safia Sheerin Abdul Kadhar
0.71
ETA | Energy Analysis & Env. Impacts | Energy Efficiency Studies
Mary Ann Piette
0.70
LD | LD | Energy Technologies
Alex Newkirk
0.70
ETA | Building Tech. & Urban Sys. | Bldg & Industrial App Dpt
Reed Teyber
0.70
PSA | ATAP | Superconducting Magnet Program
Soren Prestemon
0.70
PSA | Engineering | Mechanical Engineering
Tengming Shen
0.70
PSA | ATAP | Superconducting Magnet Program
Cynthia Regnier
0.70
ETA | Building Tech. & Urban Sys. | Whole Building Sys Dept
Potential LBNL PIs (Overall)
Note on PI Matching: These suggestions are generated through an AI-driven semantic analysis of LBNL staff profiles.
ONHS Funding Opportunity Report