Open Access
14 November 2022 Investigation of turbulence-tolerant free-space optical communications via multiplane light conversion
Pak Cho, Paul M. Pellegrino, Justin Bickford, Alexandros Bontzos
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Abstract

Multiplane light conversion (MPLC) offers an alternative to adaptive optics for coupling a turbulence-corrupted free-space optical beam into single-mode fiber or waveguide. Recent published test results suggest that such a conversion device has comparable or better performance than an adaptive optics system. To better understand the device characteristics, simulations were conducted to quantify the power loss for different turbulence strengths and the number of Hermite–Gaussian modes used in the conversion process. The specific case studied is a prototype free-space laser communication system developed by the U.S. Army Research Laboratory. Simulation and statistical results of the conversion performance are reported. Analysis of a beam power combiner after MPLC is also discussed.

CC BY: © The Authors. Published by SPIE under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Distribution or reproduction of this work in whole or in part requires full attribution of the original publication, including its DOI.
Pak Cho, Paul M. Pellegrino, Justin Bickford, and Alexandros Bontzos "Investigation of turbulence-tolerant free-space optical communications via multiplane light conversion," Optical Engineering 61(11), 116104 (14 November 2022). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.OE.61.11.116104
Received: 25 July 2022; Accepted: 24 October 2022; Published: 14 November 2022
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CITATIONS
Cited by 3 scholarly publications.
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KEYWORDS
Receivers

Free space optical communications

Single mode fibers

Photonic integrated circuits

Turbulence

Free space optics

Optical engineering

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