Target marker having quantum cascade laser for thermally marking a target

1. A portable target marker, comprising:

a quantum cascade laser configured to generate a thermal infrared beam;

a driver operably connected to the quantum cascade laser and configured to pulse the beam at a desired repetition rate, the pulsed beam intersecting a target; and

a thermal imager configured to form a visible image of the pulsed beam intersecting the target.

2. The target marker of claim 1 , further comprising a housing, wherein at least one of the driver and the quantum cascade laser is hermetically sealed within the housing.

3. The target marker of claim 1 , further comprising a temperature controller in thermal contact with the quantum cascade laser and configured to maintain the quantum cascade laser at ambient temperature.

4. The target marker of claim 1 , wherein the driver comprises at least one of a pulse generator, an amplifier, and a pulse switcher.

5. The target marker of claim 4 , wherein the pulse switcher of the driver is configured to enable passive switching of the quantum cascade laser.

6. The target marker of claim 4 , wherein the amplifier of the driver is controlled in response to a temperature of the quantum cascade laser.

7. The target marker of claim 1 , further comprising a power supply operably connected to the driver and the quantum cascade laser, the driver being configured to alter the pulsed beam by varying an amount of power supplied to the quantum cascade laser by the power supply.

8. The target marker of claim 1 , wherein a peak power draw of the quantum cascade laser is between approximately 1 amp and approximately 10 amps.

9. The target marker of claim 1 , wherein an average current draw of the quantum cascade laser is between approximately 0.01 amps and approximately 0.1 amps.

10. The target marker of claim 1 , wherein a voltage required by the quantum cascade laser is between approximately 9 Volts and approximately 12 Volts.

11. The target marker of claim 1 , wherein the thermal imager is configured to capture a portion of the pulsed beam that has been at least one of scattered, reflected, absorbed, and reemitted by the target, and to form the visible image based on the captured portion.

12. The target marker of claim 11 , wherein the target absorbs a portion of the pulsed beam and reemits energy in the thermal band corresponding to the absorbed portion, and

wherein the thermal imager is configured to capture the reemitted energy and to form the visible image based on the captured energy.

13. The target marker of claim 1 , wherein the thermal imager is configured to capture energy emitted by the target in the thermal band, and to form the visible image based on the captured energy.

14. A method of marking a target with a portable target marker, comprising:

generating a thermal infrared beam with the target marker;

pulsing the beam at a desired repetition rate;

intersecting the pulsed beam with the target; and

forming a visible image of the pulsed beam intersecting the target.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the target emits energy in the thermal band, and forming the visible image comprises capturing a portion of the energy emitted by the target.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein pulsing the beam at the repetition rate increases the visibility of the pulsed beam in the image relative to a portion of the target.

17. The method of claim 14 , wherein forming the visible image comprises capturing a portion of the pulsed beam that has been at least one of scattered, reflected, absorbed, and reemitted by the target, and

forming the visible image based on the captured portion.

18. The method of claim 14 , wherein the target absorbs a portion of the pulsed beam and reemits energy in the thermal band corresponding to the absorbed portion, and

wherein forming the visible image comprises capturing the reemitted energy and forming the visible image based on the captured energy.

19. The method of claim 14 , wherein the pulsed beam has a wavelength between approximately 2 μm and approximately 30 μm.

20. A method of marking a target with a portable target marker, comprising:

generating a thermal infrared beam with a quantum cascade laser of the target marker;

pulsing the beam at a desired repetition rate;

intersecting the pulsed beam with the target such that a portion of the pulsed beam is at least one of scattered, reflected, absorbed, and reemitted by the target

capturing the portion of the pulsed beam with a thermal imager; and

forming, with the thermal imager, a visible image of the pulsed beam intersecting the target, wherein the repetition rate is selected based on an operating characteristic of the thermal imager.