HPM Effects and Data Collection

Classification

Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI)

Distribution

Limited Distribution D: Restricted to U.S. citizens who are employees of the Department of War (DoW) and DoW contractors. See Security information for instructions on participating in short courses with limited distribution.

Instructors

Nick Erickson and Charlie Armstrong

Duration

Half-day afternoon course runs 1300-1700

Credits awarded

2 CLPs

Course Fee

Standard Registration*: $300 (includes Government Registrations)
Current Full-Time Students*: $100
* $50 Discount on two courses

Course Description

This course will provide a basic overview of Radio Frequency Directed Energy (RF DE) and the effects of an RF DE system on electronic systems. The course will cover what RF DE is, how it is similar to but different from classic Electronic Warfare (EW) and Nuclear generated Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP), as well as how it penetrates targets systems and produces effects ranging from temporary interference to permanent damage. It will provide an overview of how the effects data are collected, and how they are fed into models that quantify the effectiveness of a system against a target. It will address the statistical nature of RF coupling to electronics and the associated effects, and how they are characterized in terms of probability of effect (Pe) curves. Finally, it will cover some RF effects models and how they may be used to predict effects on targets. Topics include:

• Narrow Band and Wide Band RF DE Systems and Waveforms
• RF Propagation and Coupling
• Effects on Electronic Targets and Probability of Effect Curves
• Models for Characterizing the Effectiveness of RF DE Systems
• Basic Physics Models for RF Effects

Intended Audience

The course is intended for anyone who wants to learn to the basics of RF DE and effects on electronics. It is meant for individual with some background in science or engineering and/or in technical program management.

Instructor Biographies

Charles Armstrong

Charles Armstrong is a mathematician in the Air Force Research Laboratory’s (AFRL) Information and Spectrum Warfare Directorate. Since becoming an AFRL civilian in 2022, his research has focused on HPM effects modeling, data analysis, and test design. He joined AFRL’s Directed Energy Directorate in 2021 as a postdoctoral researcher working on pseudospectral methods for kinetic plasma simulations. Prior to joining AFRL he earned a Ph.D. in Computational and Applied Mathematics from Old Dominion University for his research in electrohydrodynamics and continuum mechanics.

Nicholas Erickson

Nicholas Erickson is currently a senior electronics engineer and PI for the HPEM Effects Section at AFRL’s Information and Warfare Spectrum Directorate / Spectrum Dominance Division. He graduated from Missouri S&T with B.S. (2012), M.S. (2013), and PhD (2019) degrees. His research interests include high power microwave effects and signal integrity for high-speed digital electronics.