The majority of today's optical communication systems employ non -coherent detection or what is commonly referred to as direct detection. However, recent advances in technology have made the concept of coherent optical detection feasible.A properly designed coherent system can offer a significant improvement in receiver sensitivity. In addition a coherent system based on diode pumped Nd:YAG technology offers the additional advantages of high source power and high reliability.This paper describes the system performance of a coherent Nd:YAG system in terms of receiver sensitivity and compares that performance to that of a typical direct detection system.A comparison is also made between Nd:YAG and semiconductor laser diodes when used in coherent systems.
Laser communications offer a viable alternative to r.f. communications for intersatellite links. High data rate, small antenna size, narrow beam divergence and narrow field of view are characteristics of laser communications that offer a number of potential advantages for system design. This paper presents an overview of solid‐state laser cross‐link systems and technologies.
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