February 13, 2015, Webb 1100

Research at UCLA has developed new methods for high-performance control in adaptive optics and precise pointing of laser beams. The methods have application in directed energy systems, target tracking and laser communications. These methods achieve optical wave front correction, laser beam pointing and target tracking with precision levels significantly beyond those achievable by existing methods for beam control, thereby increasing the bandwidths and target distances for which beam control systems perform successfully, and expanding the classes of feasible applications. The research has provided the basic theoretical analysis, algorithm development and fundamental experimental demonstrations. The research employs methods of adaptive, optimal and robust control and filtering, as well as system identification.

James Steven Gibson received the B.S. degree in aerospace engineering, the M.S. degree in engineering mechanics, and the Ph.D. degree in engineering mechanics from The University of Texas, Austin, in 1970, 1972, and 1975, respectively.
In 1977, he joined the faculty of the Universityof California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he iscurrently a Professor of Mechanical and AerospaceEngineering. He served on the faculties of theAerospace Engineering and Engineering MechanicsDepartment, The University of Texas at Austin andthe Engineering Science and Mechanics Department, Virginia PolytechnicInstitute and State University, Blacksburg. His research interests includecontrol and identification of dynamical systems and adaptive filtering, withapplications to identification and control of flexible structures, control of laserbeams and adaptive optics, identification and control of micro inertial sensors,and control of fluid flow and noise control. He has served as an Associate Editor for the SIAM Journal on Control and Optimization and for the IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control.