163,723 research outputs found
Optical communication with semiconductor laser diodes
A 25 megabit/sec direct detection optical communication system that used Q=4 PPM signalling was constructed and its performance measured under laboratory conditions. The system used a single-mode AlGaAs laser diode transmitter and low noise silicon avalanche photodiode (APD) photodetector. Comparison of measured performance with the theoretical revealed that modeling the APD output as a Gaussian process under conditions of negligible background radiation and low (less than 10 to the -12 power A) APD bulk leakage currents leads to substantial underestimates of optimal APD gain to use and overestimates of system bit error probability. A procedure is given to numerically compute system performance which uses the more accurate Webb's Approximation of the exact Conradi distribution for the APD ouput signal that does not require excessive amounts of computer time (a few minutes of VAX 8600 CPU time per system operating point). Examples are given which illustrate the breakdown of the Gaussian approximation in assessing system performance. This system achieved a bit error probability of 10 to the -6 power at a received signal energy corresponding to an average of 60 absorbed photons/bit and optimal APD gain of 700
MIMO Underwater Visible Light Communications: Comprehensive Channel Study, Performance Analysis, and Multiple-Symbol Detection
In this paper, we analytically study the bit error rate (BER) performance of
underwater visible light communication (UVLC) systems with binary pulse
position modulation (BPPM). We simulate the channel fading-free impulse
response (FFIR) based on Monte Carlo numerical method to take into account the
absorption and scattering effects. Additionally, to characterize turbulence
effects, we multiply the aforementioned FFIR by a fading coefficient which for
weak oceanic turbulence can be modeled as a lognormal random variable (RV).
Moreover, to mitigate turbulence effects, we employ multiple transmitters
and/or receivers, i.e., spatial diversity technique over UVLC links.
Closed-form expressions for the system BER are provided, when equal gain
combiner (EGC) is employed at the receiver side, thanks to Gauss-Hermite
quadrature formula and approximation to the sum of lognormal RVs. We further
apply saddle-point approximation, an accurate photon-counting-based method, to
evaluate the system BER in the presence of shot noise. Both laser-based
collimated and light emitting diode (LED)-based diffusive links are
investigated. Since multiple-scattering effect of UVLC channels on the
propagating photons causes considerable inter-symbol interference (ISI),
especially for diffusive channels, we also obtain the optimum multiple-symbol
detection (MSD) algorithm to significantly alleviate ISI effects and improve
the system performance. Our numerical analysis indicates good matches between
the analytical and photon-counting results implying the negligibility of
signal-dependent shot noise, and also between analytical results and numerical
simulations confirming the accuracy of our derived closed-form expressions for
the system BER. Besides, our results show that spatial diversity significantly
mitigates fading impairments while MSD considerably alleviates ISI
deteriorations
The Fringe Detection Laser Metrology for the GRAVITY Interferometer at the VLTI
Interferometric measurements of optical path length differences of stars over
large baselines can deliver extremely accurate astrometric data. The
interferometer GRAVITY will simultaneously measure two objects in the field of
view of the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) of the European Southern
Observatory (ESO) and determine their angular separation to a precision of 10
micro arcseconds in only 5 minutes. To perform the astrometric measurement with
such a high accuracy, the differential path length through the VLTI and the
instrument has to be measured (and tracked since Earth's rotation will
permanently change it) by a laser metrology to an even higher level of accuracy
(corresponding to 1 nm in 3 minutes). Usually, heterodyne differential path
techniques are used for nanometer precision measurements, but with these
methods it is difficult to track the full beam size and to follow the light
path up to the primary mirror of the telescope. Here, we present the
preliminary design of a differential path metrology system, developed within
the GRAVITY project. It measures the instrumental differential path over the
full pupil size and up to the entrance pupil location. The differential phase
is measured by detecting the laser fringe pattern both on the telescopes'
secondary mirrors as well as after reflection at the primary mirror. Based on
our proposed design we evaluate the phase measurement accuracy based on a full
budget of possible statistical and systematic errors. We show that this
metrology design fulfills the high precision requirement of GRAVITY.Comment: Proc. SPIE in pres
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A Sensitive and Reliable Carbon Monoxide Monitor for Safety-Focused Applications in Coal Mine Using a 2.33- m Laser Diode
In this paper, a stable and reliable carbon monoxide (CO) monitoring system with high sensitivity (at sub-ppm level) was designed and demonstrated with particular reference to use in the mining industry, tailoring the design specifically for forecasting spontaneous combustion, a major hazard to miners. An appropriate strong CO absorption line was used to minimize the interferences expected from gases present in ambient air, with several preferred CO absorption lines selected and investigated, therefore choosing a distributed feedback (DFB) laser operating at a wavelength of 2330.18 nm as the excitation source. Through a detailed investigation, a minimum detection limit of ~0.2 ppm and a measurement precision of <50 ppb were achieved with a 1 s averaging time. Further in tests, a long-term continuous monitoring evaluation was carried out, demonstrated the excellent stability and reliability of the developed CO monitor. The results obtained have validated the potential of this design of a CO monitoring system for practical monitoring applications underground to enhance safety in the mining industry
Development of a strontium optical lattice clock for the SOC mission on the ISS
The ESA mission "Space Optical Clock" project aims at operating an optical
lattice clock on the ISS in approximately 2023. The scientific goals of the
mission are to perform tests of fundamental physics, to enable space-assisted
relativistic geodesy and to intercompare optical clocks on the ground using
microwave and optical links. The performance goal of the space clock is less
than uncertainty and
instability. Within an EU-FP7-funded project, a strontium optical lattice clock
demonstrator has been developed. Goal performances are instability below and fractional inaccuracy .
For the design of the clock, techniques and approaches suitable for later space
application are used, such as modular design, diode lasers, low power
consumption subunits, and compact dimensions. The Sr clock apparatus is fully
operational, and the clock transition in Sr was observed with linewidth
as small as 9 Hz.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figures, SPIE Photonics Europe 201
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