Time-division multiplexing (TDM) in Free-space Optical Communication
Time-division multiplexing (TDM) is a method of sending several data streams over one shared channel by giving each stream its own…
Photonic Crystal Surface Emitting Lasers (PSCEL)
What are PCSELs? PCSELs are a unique type of semiconductor laser. To understand them, it’s useful to compare them to two…
Airbus UltraAir Laser Terminal
developed in collaboration with the European Space Agency, TESAT, TNO The Netherlands Space Office (NSO) , VDL group the Airbus UltraAir laser…
Mie Scattering
Summary Mie Scattering describes the scattering of an electromagnetic plane wave such as an RF or optical signal by a homogenous…
Underwater Optical Communication (UWOC)
Summary Underwater Optical Communication (UWOC) is a type of FSO communication for underwater applications. The increased density of water compared to…
Random Unitary Beamforming (RUB)
Overview Random Unitary Beamforming (RUB) is a beamforming technique that was originally developed for Multiple-input multiple output (MIMO) wireless systems. In…
Mach-Zender Modulators (MZM)
Summary Mach-Zender Modulators (MZM) are electro-optic devices used to encode information into a laser beam before transmission, using materials such as…
Self-Defocusing/Thermal Bloom
Overview Self-defocusing in free-space optics (FSO) describes the divergence of a laser beam beyond that predicted by diffraction. It commonly results…
Rayleigh Length
Rayleigh Length Summary Rayleigh length is a fundamental concept in optics that describes how far a collimated beam, typically a Gaussian…
Raman Scattering and Spectroscopy
What Is Raman Scattering? Raman scattering is a physical process that occurs when light interacts with molecules and causes them to…