Multichannel on a single wave laser over wave division multiplexing in free space optics using phase masks

• US 8,244,137 B1
• Filed: 06/30/2009
• Issued: 08/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Chen, David Zhi
• Primary Examiner(s): Bello, Agustin
• Application Number:
  US12/495,571
• Time in Patent Office: 1,141 Days
• Field of Search: 398118-131
• US Class Current: 398/130
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/1121 One-way transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/1141 One-way transmission

Abstract

A system comprises a laser configured to produce a laser beam; a modulator optically coupled to said laser; and a phase mask optically coupled to said modulator. The phase mask may be configured to pre-distort a pre-existing wavefront to produce a pre-distorted wavefront to be transmitted over free space.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a laser configured to produce a laser beam;

a plurality of modulators, each optically coupled to said laser and configured to modulate one of a plurality of signals onto said laser beam;

a plurality of phase masks, each optically coupled to a respective one of said plurality of modulators and configured to pre-distort a pre-existing wavefront to produce one of a plurality of pre-distorted wavefronts to be transmitted over free space; and

a secure key transmitted over one of said plurality of modulated signals and configured to facilitate generation of a sequence according to which said plurality of modulated signals are switched among said plurality of pre-distorted wavefronts.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of said plurality of phase masks is configured to pre-distort said pre-existing wavefront according to one of a Gaussian pattern, and a double Gaussian pattern.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said pre-existing wavefront is a generally planar wavefront.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a free space source optical alignment device configured to transmit said plurality of pre-distorted wavefronts;

a free space destination optical alignment device configured to receive said plurality of pre-distorted wavefronts from said source optical alignment device; and

a second plurality of phase masks, each optically coupled to said free space destination optical alignment device;

wherein said second plurality of phase masks is configured to reverse said pre-distortion performed on said planar wavefront to reproduce said planar wavefront from said plurality of pre-distorted wavefronts.

5. The system of claim 4, further comprising a plurality of decoders optically coupled to respective ones of said second plurality of phase masks, is each of said plurality of decoders configured to receive said laser beam and to decode one of said plurality of modulated signals.

6. A system, comprising:

a laser;

an optical splitter optically coupled to said laser and configured to split a laser beam received from said laser into a plurality of laser beams;

a plurality of signal modulators optically coupled to said optical splitter, each said modulator configured to;

receive a laser beam from said splitter and one of a plurality of signals to modulate, and

modulate said one of said plurality of signals onto said laser beam;

a plurality of phase masks, each said phase mask optically coupled to one of said plurality of signal modulators and configured to pre-distort a pre-existing wavefront to produce one of a plurality of pre-distorted wavefronts to be transmitted over free space; and

a secure key transmitted over one of said plurality of modulated signals and configured to facilitate generation of a sequence according to which said plurality of modulated signals are switched among said plurality of pre-distorted wavefronts.

7. The system of claim 6, further comprising a beam collector, said beam collector being optically coupled to at least a subset of said plurality of phase masks and configured to perform energy convergence on said pre-distorted wavefronts received from said coupled phase masks and output a combined light beam.

8. The system of claim 7, further comprising:

a free space source optical alignment device optically coupled to said beam collector and configured to transmit said combined light beam comprising said plurality of pre-distorted wavefronts; and

a free space destination optical alignment device configured to receive said combined light beam from said transmitter.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising a second optical splitter optically coupled to said free space destination optical alignment device and configured to receive said combined light beam and split said combined light beam into a plurality of legs.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein each said leg of said second optical splitter includes all of said plurality of pre-distorted wavefronts being propagated by said light beam.

11. The system of claim 9, further comprising a second plurality of phase masks, each of said second plurality of phase masks optically coupled to a leg of said plurality of legs and configured to reverse said pre-distortion performed on said planar wavefront to reproduce said planar wavefront from said plurality of pre-distorted wavefronts.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising a plurality of decoders, wherein each said second phase mask is optically coupled to a decoder in said plurality of decoders, each of said decoders being configured to decode a corresponding one of said plurality of signals modulated on a received light beam into a resultant signal.

13. The system of claim 6, further comprising a central processor in selective communication with said plurality of signal modulators;

wherein said central processor is configured to issue directives to said signal modulators, said directives being determined at least in part according to said secure key; and

wherein each said signal modulator is configured to receive a directive from said central processor indicating which signal to modulate.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein said central processor is further configured to issue directives to said plurality of signal modulators to cause said plurality of signal modulators to selectively switch among modulated signals, thereby causing said signals to switch among said pre-distorted wavefronts.

15. A method, comprising:

modulating a first of a plurality of signals onto a first light beam to produce a first pre-existing wavefront, a second of said plurality of signals onto a second light beam to produce a second pre-existing wavefront, and a secure key onto a third light beam to produce a third pre-existing wavefront, the secure key facilitating generation of a sequence according to which the plurality of signals are switched among a plurality of pre-distorted wavefronts;

generating a transmission sequence according to the secure key used as an input to a mathematical function; and

determining which of said plurality of signals to modulate as said first signal and which of said plurality of signals to modulate as said second signal according to said transmission sequence;

pre-distorting said first pre-existing wavefront to produce a first pre-distorted wavefront and pre-distorting said second pre-existing wavefront to produce a second pre-distorted wavefront, and pre-distorting said third pre-existing wavefront to produce a third pre-distorted wavefront;

combining said first, second and third pre-distorted wavefronts into a combined beam for transmission; and

transmitting said combined beam by a transmitter.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving said combined beam from said transmitter;

splitting said received beam into a plurality of beams comprising a first beam and a second beam; and

reversing said pre-distortion performed on said first pre-existing wavefront to reproduce said first pre-existing wavefront, reversing said pre-distortion performed on said second pre-existing wavefront to reproduce said second pre-existing wavefront, and reversing said pre-distortion performed on said third pre-existing wavefront to reproduce said third pre-existing wavefront.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising decoding said reproduced first pre-existing wavefront to reproduce at least a portion of said first of a plurality of signals, and decoding said reproduced second pre-existing wavefront to reproduce at least a portion of said second of a plurality of signals.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

decoding said reproduced third pre-existing wavefront to reproduce said secure key;

generating a reception sequence according to said reproduced secure key used as an input to said mathematical function; and

determining which of said plurality signals to decode as said first signal and which of said plurality of signals to decode as said second signal according to said reception sequence.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein said transmission sequence is generated at least in part by a central processor in selective communication with a plurality of modulators, wherein a first of said plurality of modulators is configured to modulate said first signal onto said first light beam, wherein a second of said plurality of modulators is configured to modulate said second signals onto said second light beam, and further comprising directing said first modulator and said second modulator to switch signals by said central processor.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein said transmission sequence is generated at least in part by a central processor in selective communication with a plurality of phase masks, wherein a first of said plurality of phase masks is configured to pre-distort said first signal according to a first pre-distortion, wherein a second of said plurality of phase masks is configured to modulate said second signal onto said second light beam according to a second pre-distortion, and further comprising directing said first phase mask and said second phase mask to switch pre-distortion configurations by said central processor.

21. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

modulating a signal comprising an updated secure key onto said third light beam;

pre-distorting said third pre-existing wavefront to produce an updated third pre-distorted wavefront; and

combining said third pre-distorted wavefront into said combined beam for transmission by said transmitter.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

receiving said combined beam from said transmitter including said updated secure key;

decoding said third pre-distorted wavefront to reproduce said updated secure key;

generating an updated reception sequence according to said updated secure key used by said mathematical function; and

determining which of said plurality signals to decode as said first signal and which to decode as said second signal according to said updated reception sequence.

23. The method of claim 15, further comprising selectively switching which of said plurality of signals is selected to be said first signal modulated onto said first light beam and which of said plurality of signals is selected as said second signal modulated onto said second light beam.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

generating a sequence according to a secure key used by a mathematical function; and

determining which of said plurality of signals to modulate as said first signal and which of said plurality of signals to modulate as said second signal according to said sequence.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein said steps of generating a sequence and determining which of said plurality of signals to modulate are performed at least in part by a central processor.