Session
Advanced Technologies 1
Location
Salt Palace Convention Center, Salt Lake City, UT
Abstract
In this work, we designed, built, and tested an all-optical relay amplifier to enable a space-based all-optical backbone for laser communications networks. The design sought to optimize links for LEO-based networks incorporating appropriate span lengths and optical terminal specifications. We incorporate an add-drop multiplexer for rerouting signals and designed the system to be flexible over span lengths with a nominal range of 1,800 km. We performed several tests of the nominally 60 dB gain amplifier to assess link dynamics unique to free space optical communications (FSOC) including the impact of pointing jitter, nonlinearities, gain flattening, and wide-band filters on an emulated FSOC links. We show our 10-channel WDM amplifier appropriately handles ASE, can balance the gain profile to within 1 dB, and optimizes performance at power levels comfortably below the maximum demonstrated output power of 10W. With this performance, our amplifiers support an all-optical backbone comprised of more than 25 relays which provides a total range of more than 45,000 km and achieves full global circumnavigation in LEO without optical-to-electronic-to-optical (OEO) regeneration.
Document Type
Event
Presentation
Included in
Development of Wavelength-Division-Multiplexed All-Optical Relays for Low-Earth Orbit Free-Space Optical Communication Networks
Salt Palace Convention Center, Salt Lake City, UT
In this work, we designed, built, and tested an all-optical relay amplifier to enable a space-based all-optical backbone for laser communications networks. The design sought to optimize links for LEO-based networks incorporating appropriate span lengths and optical terminal specifications. We incorporate an add-drop multiplexer for rerouting signals and designed the system to be flexible over span lengths with a nominal range of 1,800 km. We performed several tests of the nominally 60 dB gain amplifier to assess link dynamics unique to free space optical communications (FSOC) including the impact of pointing jitter, nonlinearities, gain flattening, and wide-band filters on an emulated FSOC links. We show our 10-channel WDM amplifier appropriately handles ASE, can balance the gain profile to within 1 dB, and optimizes performance at power levels comfortably below the maximum demonstrated output power of 10W. With this performance, our amplifiers support an all-optical backbone comprised of more than 25 relays which provides a total range of more than 45,000 km and achieves full global circumnavigation in LEO without optical-to-electronic-to-optical (OEO) regeneration.
