Resilient Ultra Short Pulsed Laser Sources - RFI

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Multi‑X Office is seeking input from industry, academia, and government labs on how to create compact, rugged, millijoule‑class ultra‑short pulsed laser (USPL) sources that can operate in harsh environments while remaining tunable. The agency will use the responses to shape future DARPA research programs and technology road‑maps. Respondents are asked to describe envisioned system architectures, performance metrics, environmental‑hardening strategies (e.g., MIL‑STD‑810H compliance), and approaches for broad wavelength, pulse‑width, energy, and repetition‑rate tuning. Submissions are limited to a 12‑point font, 1‑inch margins, and a maximum of 13 pages (cover, technical, references). No cost reimbursement is offered; the effort is purely informational. • Target technology: millijoule‑class, sub‑picosecond, high‑repetition‑rate lasers (GHz–kHz). • Desired attributes: compact size, low weight, low power, ruggedness to vibration, shock, temperature extremes, and dust. • Performance metrics to discuss: center wavelength, tuning range, pulse width & tunability, pulse energy, average power, repetition rate, waveform generation, vibration/acceleration sensitivity, temperature range, thermal stability. • Required discussion of chip‑scale photonics, fiber‑based approaches, and system‑level architectural changes. • Responses due by 5:00 p.m. ET on November 20, 2026; unclassified submissions sent via email.