A conical scan free space optical tracking system for fading channels

• Main Authors: Williams, Timothy H. (Contributor), Crucioli, David A. (Contributor), Wilcox, William E., Jr (Contributor), Volpicelli, Alicia M. (Contributor), Murphy, Robert J. (Contributor)
• Other Authors: Lincoln Laboratory (Contributor)
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: The International Society for Optical Engineering, 2010-03-18T18:42:14Z.
• Subjects: Article
• Online Access: Get fulltext

Free space optical communication systems require robust pointing and tracking to establish and maintain lineof- sight (LOS). Atmospheric scintillation can present a challenge to the LOS tracking systems located at each end of the link. This paper describes a pointing, acquisition, and tracking (PAT) approach for single-mode fiber coupling, which was successfully demonstrated over a 5.4 km lasercom link that was subject to severe turbulence conditions. One of the primary advantages of the scheme described is its compensation for thermo-mechanical drift, which simplifies optomechanical design and allows use of simple COTS hardware. An overview of the PAT system and performance data are presented.
United States Department of Defense (Air Force Contract FA8721-05-C-0002)