Description
Objective: The objective of the activity is to design, manufacture and test a photonic integrated circuit to realise a turbulence mitigation system based on spatial mode recombination for receiver turbulence mitigation in Optical Ground Stations. Targeted Improvements: Increase the optical downlink availability by 30%. Also enable automation of the optical ground station as it can operate without need for personnel. Description: Current turbulence mitigation systems for optical downlinks relies mainly on convention al adaptive optics systems. Although adaptive optics may provide a satisfactory solution in the near future, it presents inherent limitations and constraints. Those are due to the limited performance of their individual constituents, their finite bandwidth, and use of conventional wavefront sensors that are unreliable in strong scintillation environment. In addition, because they can present large footprints and limited automation their future use in embedded applications or in simple, robust, versatile and potentially transportable widespread optical ground terminals is challenged. Using modal de-multiplexers such as photonic lanterns that can passively map the input from few-mode fibres or equivalent devices to several single-mode outputs that can be re-combined is an alternative to the adaptive optics approach. To fully benefit from this spatial mode de-multiplexing turbulence mitigation approach, a solution is to recombine the output signals from the de-multiplexer optically using photonic integrated circuit devices. This would allow to minimise power consumption and to process in real-time multiple channels simultaneously if needed. Coupling such arrays to the outputs of a modal de-multiplexer enable a device that can passively mitigate atmospheric turbulence by compensating both phase and amplitude fluctuations of the received beam almost passively and without the use of complex opto-mechanical components. The added value of such a novel mitigation approach would therefore be the significant simplification, automation, downsizing and cost reduction of turbulence mitigation systems for any kind of downlinks that could equip any optical ground terminal used for application ranging from quantum communication to direct-to-Earth high data rate links. Procurement Policy: C(1) = Activity restricted to non-prime contractors (incl. SMEs). For additional information please go to:http://www.esa.int/About_Us/Business_with_ESA/Small_and_Medium_Sized_En…