Ship-to-Ship High-Bandwidth, Secure Free-Space Optical Communications Using Adaptive Optics

"The objective of the project is to develop a small, very-high bandwidth optical communications link for the Navy ship-to-ship and ship-to-shore applications. AOptix Technologies has developed a novel Free Space Optical communication system that usesAdaptive Optics to dynamically correct atmospheric aberrations that result from turbulence and scintillation. By correcting these optical distortions, AOptix is able to build multi-gigabit, all-optical, long-range FSO systems. These FSO systems areinherently secure because the light beam is precisely controlled and collimated to fill the receiver aperture. AOptix Technologies will adapt its terrestrial FSO system to meet the Navy's requirements for a long-range, high-speed, secure, compactcommunications technology. Multi-gigabit, multi-wavelength Free Space Optical Communications capability will break the information access bottleneck. AOptix's highly collimated beam assures the highest degree of security for optical through-air datatransmissions.Other military applications exist in ground-to-air, ground-to-space and air-to-space. Commercial applications exist in areas that require long-distance, high-capacity telecommunications links such as cellular phone traffic backhaul."