Lockheed Martin Corporation

Christopher W Tischhauser

James E Mason

Kevin Richard Bock

Gregory Samuel Feller

Patrick Eliott Perkins

Aniruddha R Karmarkar

James Wes Irwin

Jason Dominic Mudge

Danielle Marie Rawles Wuchenich

A multi-mode wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) receiver includes a receiver head to receive a free-space optical (FSO) signal. A multi-mode demultiplexers (demux) is coupled to the receiver head via a multi-mode fiber to generate a number of optical signals based on the FSO signal. A number of repeaters modify the optical signals and generate a number of single-mode optical signals.

Multi-mode wavelength division multiplexing for free-space optical communications

A phased-array coherent transceiver system includes a transceiver array including multiple receive (RX) optical elements, a number of RX optical fibers, and an optical receiver. The RX optical elements are coupled to the optical receiver via the RX optical fibers. The optical receiver includes multiple phase modulators, each phase modulator processes a phase of an optical signal received from an RX optical element.

Phased-array coherent transceiver

A coherent transceiver system includes a local oscillator (LO) light source to generate an LO optical signal. An adaptive fiber array is coupled to the LO light source to dephase the LO optical signal. A balanced detector is coupled to the adaptive fiber array to receive a dephased LO signal from the adaptive fiber array and an optical input signal and to generate a heterodyne signal. A controller receives the heterodyne signal and generates one or more control signals. The adaptive fiber array utilizes the control signals to dephase the LO optical signal.

Spatially dephasing local oscillator for coherent free-space optical communications

A tunable interferometric scanning spectrometer is provided. In one aspect of the disclosure, the interferometric scanning spectrometer splits incoming light beams among different optical paths in the spectrometer, recombines the light beams from the different optical paths to produce combined light beams, detects intensities of the combined light beams across a focal plane (e.g., with a sensor array), and calculates a spectra based on the detected intensities and a filter function that is a function of optical path difference (OPD) between the optical paths. In one aspect, the filter function varies across the focal plane. In another aspect, the spectrometer comprises a rotatable dispersive element (e.g., glass plate) in one the optical paths and/or a moveable mirror in the other optical path. In this aspect, the spectrometer may be adjusted away from zero OPD by rotation of the dispersive element and/or displacement of the mirror.

Tunable interferometric scanning spectrometer

Optical filters tunable for both center wavelength and bandwidth, having applications such as in astronomy, remote sensing, laser spectroscopy, and other laser-based sensing applications, using Michelson interferometers or Mach-Zehnder interferometers modified with Gires-Tournois interferometers ('GTIs') are disclosed. A GTI nominally has unity magnitude reflectance as a function of wavelength and has a phase response based on its resonator characteristics. Replacing the end mirrors of a Michelson interferometer or the fold mirrors of a Mach-Zehnder interferometer with GTIs results in both high visibility throughput as well as the ability to tune the phase response characteristics to change the width of the bandpass/notch filters. A range of bandpass/bandreject optical filter modes, including a Fabry-Perot ('FP') mode, a wideband, low-ripple FP mode, a narrowband notch/bandpass mode, and a wideband notch/bandpass mode, are all tunable and wavelength addressable.

Tunable Michelson and Mach-Zehnder interferometers modified with Gires-Tournois interferometers

Optical filters tunable for both center wavelength and bandwidth, having applications such as in astronomy, remote sensing, laser spectroscopy, and other laser-based sensing applications, using Michelson interferometers or Mach-Zehnder interferometers modified with Gires-Tournois interferometers ('GTIs') are disclosed. A GTI nominally has unity magnitude reflectance as a function of wavelength and has a phase response based on its resonator characteristics. Replacing the end mirrors of a Michelson interferometer or the fold minors of a Mach-Zehnder interferometer with GTIs results in both high visibility throughput as well as the ability to tune the phase response characteristics to change the width of the bandpass/notch filters. A range of bandpass/bandreject optical filter modes, including a Fabry-Perot ('FP') mode, a wideband, low-ripple FP mode, a narrowband notch/bandpass mode, and a wideband notch/bandpass mode, are all tunable and wavelength addressable.

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San Mateo, CA, United States of America

Christopher W Tischhauser