IN-AXIS RECEPTION BY POLARIZATION DISCRIMINATION IN A MODULATINGRETROREFLECTOR-BASED FREE-SPACE OPTICAL COMMUNICATION LINK

摘要

A new optical configuration is proposed for ground stations designed to receive information from modulating-retroreflector-based terminals in a free-space optical communication link. This configuration is based on the polarization discrimination of the ground station laser sent to the remote terminal. It achieves the optimal usage of the laser power, which is a key parameter in modulating-retroreflector-based links. A simulation has been made in order to model the system in terms of power losses and states of polarization and an experimental setup has been implemented to verify the validity of the simulation. A gain of over 6 dB has been measured using the new setup compared with a simple trajectory discrimination setup, achieving a very good agreement with the prediction.