Atomic Resonance Filter for Undersea Laser Communication

The proposed Small Business Innovative Research Phase I program will develop a compact, efficient, narrowband optical filter for use in undersea laser communications. The active Mg atomic resonance filter will employ pump lasers in combination with a communications laser beam at 518 nm to drive Mg atoms in a vapor cell to an excited state, and monitor fluorescence from the excited state to deliver an efficient, narrow bandwidth method of light detection. The target application is a receiver link in a free-space laser communications system between airborne and undersea vehicles. During the Phase I program Physical Sciences Inc. (PSI) will build a bench prototype of the active atomic resonance filter and characterize its operation at the communications wavelength in terms of bandwidth and efficiency. During the Phase II program PSI will draw on the experience of its wholly owned subsidiary, Q-Peak, to deliver a compact, deployable version of the optical filter for field testing in a marine environment. In the development beyond the Phase II program, PSI will team employ the expertise of Q-Peak in the area of high-power blue-green laser development for a complete system integration of an undersea laser communications link.