Tuned stable laser in a communication system

Abstract

Abstract 1,136,635. Lasers. HUGHES AIRCRAFT CO. 16 May, 1966 [16 Aug., 1965], No. 21551/66. Heading H1C. [Also in Division G1] In a laser communication system receiver in which the information carrying beam is heterodyned with a laser local oscillator beam the frequency of the laser local oscillator is adjusted to compensate for doppler shift on the information carrying beam. In a space communication system, the beam from a fixed frequency f 0 laser 98, Fig. 4, on a spacecraft 90 is modulated by information from a source 93 and beamed to a ground station 100 where it is mixed with the beam from a tunable laser 108. The output of mixer 102 should be at a frequency f if , but is modified by the doppler shift f d . Feedback is provided from the I.F. stage of the receiver to keep the frequency of laser 108 equal to f o +f d + if f so that the output of mixer 102 is truly f if . Laser 108 simultaneously produces a beam 105 of frequency f o -f d -f if which is used to transmit information to the spacecraft where it arrives doppler shifted to f o -f if ready for mixing with the beam from laser 98. Laser frequency control system.-The tunable laser comprises a tube 42, Fig. 2, containing ionized gas surrounded by a coil 60. Coil 60 is energized by signal from the I.F. stage indicating deviation from the desired f if and varies the amount of Zeeman splitting to compensate. The output beam 65, the components of which are circularly polarized in opposite directions is converted to orthogonally plane polarized beams by a quarter-wave plate and split by a Wollaston prism. Part of the beam applied to the mixer is selected by a mirror 82 and applied to a circuit 52 which maximizes the amplitude of the oscillation by energizing a piezo-electric transducer 50 carrying one of the mirrors 48 which defines the resonant cavity of the laser. In a modification, Fig. 5 (not shown), in which the resonant cavity has different apparent length for the components f o +f d +f ij and f o -f d -f if , mirror 48 is fixed and a beam polarizing and splitting assembly similar to 70 is provided at the other end of the tube 42. The beams produced are directed on to mirrors (146), (147) on opposite sides of a piezo-electric transducer energizable to increase one path and decrease the other path simultaneously.

Inventors

• 👤 Francis E Goodwin

Bibliographic Details