Daytime adaptive optics for deep space optical communication

Lewis C. Roberts Jr.; Seth Meeker; Sabino Piazzola; J. Chris Shelton

doi:10.1117/12.2524633

6 September 2019 Daytime adaptive optics for deep space optical communication

Lewis C. Roberts Jr., Seth Meeker, Sabino Piazzola, J. Chris Shelton

Proceedings Volume 11133, Laser Communication and Propagation through the Atmosphere and Oceans VIII; 1113308 (2019) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2524633
Event: SPIE Optical Engineering + Applications, 2019, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

Future deep space missions will tax the ability of existing radio frequency systems to return all the data. In addition, these missions must be able to communicate around the clock, including when the spacecraft is near the Sun. This is especially true for crewed missions. Optical communication can solve these problems, and also offers the promise of being more compact and using less power and mass. Traditional deep space optical communication concepts require large diameter telescopes (<8m) to collect enough photons to provide adequate signal-to-noise ratio. Systems operating during the day will experience strong turbulence which results in large point spread functions. This necessitates photon counting detectors with a large field-of-view which are difficult to build. The large field-of-view also lets in excessive sky background which degrades the communication performance. Adaptive optics (AO) can mitigate this degradation by concentrating the light and thus not needing a large field of view. We present an AO system architecture capable of operating in the daytime and requiring only moderate performance. We present the architecture along with performance predictions of the system for different size telescopes. Finally we include a technology gap list, which will guide future development of the component technologies.

Conference Presentation

Citation Download Citation

Lewis C. Roberts Jr., Seth Meeker, Sabino Piazzola, and J. Chris Shelton "Daytime adaptive optics for deep space optical communication", Proc. SPIE 11133, Laser Communication and Propagation through the Atmosphere and Oceans VIII, 1113308 (6 September 2019); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2524633

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