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Document No.:
00000123
Edition:
F
Process:
TQ
No. of pages:
13
Technical Requirements
Requirements for TP14_048 Performance Software:
Beam Propagation Method (BPM)
Prepared
Position
Name
Signature
Date
Applied Physicist
Michael Morrissey
12-11-2014
Technical Director
Bruno Le Garrec
13.11.2014
Approved
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Table of Contents
1. Justification for Acquisistion of Performance BPM Software ..................................3
1.1 Performance Work-Package .............................................................................3
1.2 Research and Development of BPM Software ...............................................3
2. Elavuation .......................................................................................................................5
2.1 Evaluation Method ..............................................................................................5
2.2 Cost Evaluation (55 points) ...............................................................................5
2.3 Technical Performance Evaluation (45 points) ...............................................5
3. Technical Requirements of Performance Software .................................................8
3.1 Basic Operation ...................................................................................................8
3.2 Product Development .........................................................................................8
3.3 Classical & Non-Classical Solutions ................................................................9
3.4 Technical Support & Training ............................................................................9
3.5 Operating System................................................................................................9
3.6 Spatial Resolution (E) .......................................................................................10
3.7 Short Pulse Width – Broad Spectral Bandwidth (E) ....................................10
3.8 Focal Spot with Low f-Number Optics (E) .....................................................10
3.9 Non-linear Optics (E) ........................................................................................11
3.10 User Defined Models (E).................................................................................11
3.11 Test-case (E) ....................................................................................................11
4. Quality Management Plan ..........................................................................................12
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JUSTIFICATION FOR ACQUISISTION OF PERFORMANCE BPM SOFTWARE
Performance Work-Package
The function of the system engineering team is to develop and implement the technology, in
terms of both hardware and software, to transport the optical beams from the laser system to their
respective target systems where subsequently secondary sources are derived and experiments
covering various topics of physics related fields are performed. In doing so the system
engineering team has multiple tasks which are broken down into appropriate work packages, one
of which is entitled “Performance”. This work package contains several sub-work packages
which combine together to provide a system whereby the transport scheme can be automatically
controlled and aligned as well as having the ability to simulate performance of the laser system.
This is done with the aid of high-resolution simulations and comparing this to the actual physical
performance as determined from the diagnostics system.
1.2
Research and Development of BPM Software
For the successful operation of ELI-Beamlines optical engineers and researchers require the
ability to accurately calculate the physical parameters of the optical system in order to optimize
designs as well as to determine system performance and tolerances. Therefore a software
package which can determine the spatio-temporal parameters of the laser beam as it propagates
from the laser system and comes to a focus at the target is required. It was determined from an
extensive market survey that there is no complete software currently available that can fulfil all
the simulation requirements of ELI-Beamlines. The production of such a software within ELIBeamlines would require a substantial amount research and development resulting in a lot of
time and man-power (more than 2 people for up to 10 years). Given the timeline of the ELIBeamlines project, such solution is which is not feasible.
There are several solutions available regarding the research and development of this
software which are discussed in a previous report. In order to investigate these options, in
September of 2014 the System Engineering team in ELI-Beamlines conducted a workshop
whereby experts from various companies and research institutes around the world attended. The
main topic of this workshop was the research and development of a BPM software which
satisfies all the requirements of ELI-Beamlines. It was concluded that the most appropriate
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course of action is to use an already-existing commercially available software and pay the
software developer to adapt and further develop the software to suit the needs and requirement of
ELI-Beamlines. This has the advantage of being specifically customised to the requirements and
criteria of ELI-Beamlines, while having control over the software development.
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ELAVUATION
Evaluation Method
The contracting authority shall appoint an evaluation committee that shall verify whether each
bid fulfils all requirements of the law and all the requirements (including technical requirements
listed below) of the contracting authority. If the bid fulfils all requirements, it may proceed to the
evaluation phase.
The evaluation of each bid will be considered under two main sections, namely cost
evaluation (CE) and technical performance evaluation (TPE). They are weighted out of a total of
100 points and according to their importance, giving a maximum 55 points to the CE and 45
points to the TPE. Having evaluated each bid based on this weighting system, the bid with the
highest total score we be selected as the most suitable for the contracting authority.
2.2
Cost Evaluation (55 points)
The contracting authority evaluates the total bid price in EUR excluding VAT. The cost
evaluation parameter is calculated in accordance with the ratio between the lowest proposed bid
and the evaluated bid in question. Thus cost price of the software is the sole contributor to the
cost evaluation and it can therefore be calculated by:
CE = (
2.3
Cheapest bid price
× 55)
Evaluated bid price
Technical Performance Evaluation (45 points)
Within the TPE the contracting authority shall evaluate the level of technical solutions. A
supplier that provides solutions of the highest technical quality shall receive 45 points. The
contracting authority shall evaluate solutions for selected technical requirements below
designated with “(E)”. The specific evaluation criteria may be modified on the basis of
negotiations. The final evaluation criteria and the evaluation process shall be described in detail
in the final tender documentation. The expected breakdown of the point awarded for the
technical performance is as follows:
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Evaluation Topic
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Points
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Total
Points
3.6
Spatial Resolution
Spatial resolution of 50 µm for a beam size of 400 x 400
1
5
mm already achievable
3.7
Solution for small-scale focusing
2
Advanced sampling techniques
2
Short Pulse Width – Broad Spectral Bandwidth
10
Current software can already perform this simulation using
appropriate methods and models (Must be justified)
6
Effectively resolved to sampling issues
2
Accounting for various dispersions
2
---------------------------
OR ---------------------------
Simulation of pulse down to 20 fs pulse duration
2
sampling
Proposition of appropriate algorithms and simulation model
4
for <20 fs
3.8
Proposed solution to sampling issues
2
Accounting for various dispersions
2
Focal Spot with Low f-number
10
Current software can already simulate low f-number optics
using appropriate methods and models (Must be justified)
8
Can simulate off-axis parabola
2
---------------------------
OR ---------------------------
Simulation of off-axis parabola
2
Simulation of low f-number down to f = 1
2
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Proposition of appropriate algorithms and simulation model
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4
below f = 1
Proposition for implementing the proposed models
3.9
3.10
3.11
2
Non-Linear Optics
6
Current software can simulate non-linear optics
2
Kerr effect simulation
2
Simulation or proposition for self-focusing
2
User Defined Models
3
Ability for user-defined models
2
Standard coding language
1
Test-Cases
11
Test-Case 1: Broad Bandwidth – short pulse duration
3
Test-Case 2: Focal spot using low f-number optics
3
Test-Case 3: An Ultra-short pulse with a Broad Bandwidth
1
coming to a focal spot using low f-number optics
Test-Case 4: Simulation Resolution
1
Test-Case 5: Non-Linear effects - Self-Focusing
3
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TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS OF PERFORMANCE SOFTWARE
The performance software must meet all following technical requirements. These requirements
are mandatory. Technical requirements designated with (“E”) need solutions that will be
provided by the software developer. Solutions provided by the software developers will be
subject to evaluation.
3.1
Basic Operation
The proposed BPM software must be able to perform a full simulation of the spatio-temporal
parameters of ultrashort pulses propagating through the ELI-Beamlines optical system. In optics
there are several models and regimes that shall be incorporated into the BPM software as a basic
package. Some of these include ray tracing, physical optics, geometric optics and diffractive
optics. Using these techniques the software shall be capable of simulating essential effect such as
dispersion, diffraction (near- and far-field), interference, absorption, reflection, aberrations, etc
etc. The optical systems proposed by ELI-Beamlines will contain optical components such as
mirrors, deformable mirrors, off-axis parabolas, spatial filters, beam splitter, beam shapers,
telescopes, objectives lenses, polarisers and gratings. The BPM software shall thus provide
methods to simulate such components as well as provide many tool-boxes which provide
diagnostic tools to allow the investigation of the relevant optical effects and appropriate
visualisations to display these results. The software developer should also presented shall be a
full list of optical components, analysers, calculated parameters, graphically represented results,
etc. that are available in the current commercial software and which utilities will be added to
conform to the ELI-Beamlines requested software.
3.2
Product Development
The software developers must ensure product development to continuously meet the
requirements of the ELI-Beamlines project. This may involve the implementation of new optical
components and devices, diagnostic tools to increase the accuracy and efficiency of the software.
It is proposed that the completion of software package will be broken down into several
milestones accompanied by deliverables in specified time intervals. The developer shall provide
a development plan which consists of a timeline regarding the software development over the
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specified period of time. The software developer shall state what type of programming language
will be used, what operating system is intended, what format output files will be generated. One
milestone in particular is the development of an operational prototype, or core software, by the
end of 2015 whereby most of the major requirements will be developed at this point. This
software will act as an initial test-bed allowing ELI-Beamlines can assess its role and capabilities
as well as its implementation and compatibility in the ELI-Beamlines facility.
3.3
Classical & Non-Classical Solutions
Most BPM softwares rely on the paraxial approximation or slowly varying envelope
approximations (SVEA) to simplify the calculations and perform them in a reasonable timeframe. Due to the complexity of the optical setup that will be implemented in ELI-Beamlines,
there are certain instances where such classical techniques are no longer valid and are thus
insufficient models for the required BPM software package. Therefore, the software must be able
to accurately simulate the optical system in both the paraxial and non-paraxial regimes. The
software developer should provide how such limitations of the paraxial and SVEA will be
overcome. In particular a list of simulation techniques and models that are used indicating their
function and which problems they solve.
3.4
Technical Support & Training
The software developer must provide expert technical support including software upgrades and a
means to provide software training and technical support to ELI-Beamlines employees.
3.5
Operating System
A Linux based operating system would allow ELI-Beamlines to take advantage of a stable and
secure operating system. ELI-Beamlines will have access to a high performance computing
cluster (HPCC) which plays an important role in the performance assessment. A Linux based
operating system can take advantage of this allowing parallel CPU processing for high resolution
and quick simulations. The software developer shall comment on the feasibility of having a
Linux version of the BPM software and how this can be achieved, or how the software may be
integrated into a HPCC with a non-Linux based software.
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Spatial Resolution (E)
For the majority of cases ELI-Beamlines will require a resolution of 50 µm on its spatial profiles
to distinguish various beam deformations and aberrations. Due to the large beam size (400 x 400
mm) that will be implemented in ELI- Beamlines, the potential software must have the ability to
handle large data arrays to propagate through the system to achieve the required resolution. The
simulation of such high resolution will also result in sampling issues when calculating the phase
profile. In addition, when small scale self-focusing occurs, a resolution of approximately the
wavelength of the propagating light is required. The software developer shall therefore also
mention the feasibility of achieving this resolution as well as determining the major limiting
component/factors regarding achievable resolution. In particular the software developer should
describe the techniques and measures that will be implemented to resolve sampling issues when
simulating such a high resolution without drastically increasing the run-time of a simulation also
taking simulation of the phase profile into account.
3.7
Short Pulse Width – Broad Spectral Bandwidth (E)
The proposed ELI-Beamlines software must simulate the propagation of ultrashort pulses
through laser systems. The standard techniques (such as SVEA and split-step-method) may be
used for much of these calculations. However, for very low pulse durations (<<20 fs) these
techniques can no longer be accurately used due to the increasingly broad spectral bandwidth
required. Alternative solutions therefore need to be implemented to simulate such physical
systems. The software developer must mention and justify in its bid specific algorithms and
techniques used to model such a physical system. Also included software developer shall account
for material and angular dispersion which can lead to chirp effects in the pulse. The developer
shall mention how these dispersions will be dealt with as well as the sampling issues that arise
when simulating pulses with large spectral bandwidth. These will be subjected to evaluation. The
details of evaluations shall be described in the final tender documentation.
3.8
Focal Spot with Low f-Number Optics (E)
In order to obtain the proposed high intensities (1024 W/cm2) ELI-Beamlines will use large
beams which will be brought to a focus at a target regions with the aid of off-axis parabolic
mirrors with low f-number (f-number < 1). This results in large focusing angles preventing the
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use of standard paraxial approximations which are used in many BPM softwares. To determine
the spatio-temporal parameters at the focal point a non-paraxial solution must be implemented.
The software developer must in its bid supply details of how the limitations of the paraxial
approximation are overcome in this case. These will be subjected to evaluation. The details of
evaluations shall be described in the final tender documentation.
3.9
Non-linear Optics (E)
The high intensities (1024 W/cm2) expected in the ELI-Beamlines project can give rise to a
number of non-linear optical effects which need to be taken in to account. The Kerr effect is the
main source of non-linearity in power laser systems. These effects lead to strong evolutions of
the spatial (self-focusing, self-guiding, self-reflection), spectral (self-phase modulation) as well
as temporal (self-steepening, pulse splitting) characteristics of the pulse. In the case of ELIBeamlines, the non-linear optics simulations can be limited to the classical Kerr effect. The
software developer shall mention in its bid how these effects should be taken into account. These
will be subjected to evaluation. The details of evaluations shall be described in the final tender
documentation.
3.10 User Defined Models (E)
The BPM software shall provide the ability to automate processes within the software itself using
a programing interface. This shall also allow the user to define customised optical components as
well as running evaluation techniques and mathematical models. This shall be coded in some
common programming language and will allow ELI-Beamlines employees to continuously
develop tools and components in the future.
3.11 Test-case (E)
During the bidding process in this tender, each potential software developer must perform ELIBeamlines specified test-cases (and include these in the bid) as a proof of principal to show that
such conditions can be simulated and to indicate the current state of their simulation package.
These test-cases must be compatible with already tested and published results. Details of the testcases shall be discussed with potential software developers during negotiations and the final
requirements will be specified in the tender documentation.
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QUALITY MANAGEMENT PLAN
By definition, quality management ensures the quality of an organisation as well as its product
and services and the mean by which they are achieved. The main reason for implementing a
quality management plan (QMP) is to ensure the ELI-Beamlines set-requirements will be met.
Thus the quality of the proposed software can essentially be determined by the fulfilment of the
above mentioned requirement.
As a part of the software developer’s bid shall be a QMP which clearly describes:
General: the scope and objectives of the software such as

a simple statement of the purpose and expected outcomes of the proposed software

Conditions of the validity of the software i.e. limitations, operational ranges etc.

How the quality requirements will be ensured
Resources: The quality plan should define the type and amount of resources needed for the
successful execution of the plan. These resources may include materials, human resources,
infrastructure and work environment.
Management responsibilities: The quality plan should identify individuals within the
organization who are responsible for the following:
a)
ensuring that the activities required for the QMP planned, implemented and controlled, and
their progress monitored,
b)
communicating requirements to all affected departments and ELI Beamlines, as well as
resolving problems that arise at the interfaces between such groups;
c)
reviewing the results of any audits conducted,
d)
reviewing and authorizing changes to, or deviations from, the quality plan
Testing accuracy, limitations & non-conformance: The quality plan should define how nonconforming product will be identified and controlled to prevent misuse. The Supplier should
devise evaluation and test plans including
a)
processes and measurements to be applied;
b)
the stages at which they shall be applied;
c)
the quality characteristics to be monitored and measured at each stage,
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the procedures and acceptance criteria to be used;
The quality plan shall identify the controls to be used for monitoring and measuring equipment
intended for use for the specific case, including its calibration/confirmation status.
Test protocols shall contain at least:

Identification of item tested (type, version...)

Full list of parameters to be verified with criteria of acceptability (from the Requirement,
e.g. nominal value and tolerances)

Passed/not passed for each item of the list

When any requirement was waived, reference to the waiver concession

Accepted/not accepted - result of the test (incl. references to waivers granted)
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