There has been a recent surge in interest for optical satellite communication utilizing lasers. It is clear to see why, as optical SatCom is capable of higher speed, lighter weight, higher directionality, and higher efficiency versus their radio-based counterparts. Research into optical SatCom has focused on devices operating in the short-wave infrared, which is due to the maturity and commercial availability of such component’s thanks to significant development in terrestrial telecommunications networks. However, short-wave infrared performs poorly in fog and heavy weather, prompting investigations into longer mid-wave and long-wave infrared bands for optical communication instead due to reduced atmospheric losses. This paper provides a comprehensive review of laser transmitters, detectors, and the science behind selecting longer wavelengths for optical SatCom to boost optical SatCom between ground stations and low earth orbit satellite constellations being deployed.

In this paper, a novel approach to modelling intracavity second harmonic generation (SHG) in periodically poled MgO-doped lithium niobate (PPLN) is presented and verified against experimental results. This approach involves combining the coupled nonlinear wave equations with a rate equation model for a diode-pumped solid-state Nd:YVO4 laser, taking into account both the depletion of the fundamental wave due to the energy conversion from the fundamental wave to the SHG wave and the reduction of the fundamental wave within a laser cavity due to the loss as a result of the SHG nonlinear process. It was shown that the theoretical simulation matched the experimental results well, while also providing physical insight into the importance of the fundamental wave depletion in the intracavity SHG nonlinear processes. The resulting model is computationally simple and has the potential to generalize to the other nonlinear processes such as three-wave mixing and optical parametric oscillation.

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In this paper, a compact speckle reduction method utilizing vibrating lenses for laser beam scanning is proposed and demonstrated. The maximum speckle reduction efficiency was found to be 75.6% and 81.25% for a 532 nm diode-pumped solid-state (DPSS) laser and a 520 nm laser diode (LD), respectively. The minimum speckle contrast ratio observed using our method was 0.11 for the DPSS laser and 0.06 for the LD. The proposed method can provide speckle reduction with minimal power requirements, a low implementation cost, and no bending for the optical path of the laser beam. Additionally, this method is promising to withstand high-power lasers for use in high lumen laser projectors by optimizing the lens parameters. The demonstrated technique has a small form factor while simultaneously demonstrating a high degree of speckle reduction, which shows potential for speckle reduction in mini-and pico-laser projector applications.

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