Laser Communication and Propagation through the Atmosphere and Oceans XIV

This conference is aimed to foster a diverse and inclusive community of researchers, both new and seasoned in the field, focused on the ubiquitous implementation of free-space optical communications (FSOC), as well as all the associated science and applications involving coherent and incoherent optical propagation in the atmosphere, the sensing and modeling of turbulence and other environmental variables, long-range imaging, and the implementation of techniques to improve the detection of optical signals for various applications. If you are working in a topic relevant to these fields, we encourage you to consider sharing your research at this conference.

The effects caused by the atmosphere are often the limiting performance factor in many laser propagation systems. The primary elements that contribute to optical degradation are absorption and scattering, large-scale refractive effects, and optical turbulence. For many applications, it is desirable to model and predict these effects in an effort to mitigate them. However, atmospheric optical propagation models are particularly complex to develop due to the spatial and temporal fluctuations that they involve. These propagation volumes can show significant variations in their turbulence structure and optical scattering depending on the environmental conditions, for instance, over flat terrain in contrast with inhomogeneous land and mountains, over coastal air and ocean, or through the stratified atmosphere. In the case of underwater propagation, significantly higher optical scattering, larger refractive index variation with wavelength, and possible depolarization are expected.

High-data-rate FSOC remains an emerging technology with many technical challenges. These involve pointing, tracking, acquisition, scintillation, coupling into optical fiber, signal detection, information processing and system design. As communication data rates transition to 100Gbps and beyond, systems will move from intensity modulation to coherent modulation. In the effort to design transparent optical networks, the coupling of light into single mode fiber becomes a necessity and atmospheric turbulence makes this a difficult task. Transmitter and receiver designs face unique challenges, whether stationed in space, airborne, underwater, over water, or on land.

Submissions to this conference are encouraged in three stages of development:

1. Modeling and simulation
2. Laboratory experimentation and prototyping
3. Outdoor experimentation

Across these three stages of development, research in the following areas is of interest:

• coherent FSOC systems: modulation schemes, error correction, and approaches to phase ambiguity, depolarization, and fiber coupling
• optical detection: spatial diversity and demodulation techniques, new devices, including single-photon detectos for FSOC applications
• atmospheric effects: analysis of turbulence, aerosols, precipitation, and particulates affecting optical propagation in the atmosphere
• turbulence modeling: atmospheric measurements for mathematical modeling; laboratory-generated turbulence assisted by outdoor measurements
• adaptive optics: implementation of novel technologies and optical components to mitigate time-varying atmospheric effects
• underwater optical propagation: models, simulations, and experiments for communications, imaging, and LiDAR in underwater environments
• novel light sources: modeling and testing of short-pulse lasers and supercontinuum lasers in the atmosphere
• quantum transmission: exploration of free-space quantum communication, quantum key distribution, and quantum imaging through atmospheric paths
• structured beams: generation, propagation, and detection of vector, orbital angular momentum, and other structured beams
• LiDAR and remote sensing: techniques for atmospheric and oceanic characterization using LiDAR and remote sensing
• outdoor propagation experiments: involving visible, infrared (IR), and long-IR laser wavelengths for various applications
• optical ground stations: design and implementation of satellite-to-ground laser communication systems, with focus on path characterization, and atmospheric mitigation approaches
• photonic technologies: photonic integrated circuits, photonic lanterns, and multi-plane light conversion devices for use with signals affected by turbulence.