OpticalSpaceLink

High-Efficiency Tunable Laser Guide Star System

Optical Space Link

The OpticalSpaceLink is the latest generation of TOPTICA Projects’ laser guide star systems, designed for applications with enhanced requirements on laser output power and brightness of the artificial guide stars. Minimized footprint and total cost of ownership in connection with fully automatic operation and available remote management capabilities make this laser guide star technology available for enabling high data capacity free-space optical communication to optical internet satellite constellations, deep-space communications, and high-resolution imaging in space situational awareness.

Laser guide star system for free-space optical communications, deep space communications, Space Situational Awareness and spectroscopic atmospheric research (with additional technical modifications):

Continuous wave laser
Beam quality with < 50 nm rms wave front error
Single-frequency spectrum with < 5 MHz linewidth, Absolute frequency stability < 10 MHz
Spectral “repumper” sideband to avoid dark states in the electronic level scheme of sodium and, thus, optimize the optical pumping efficiency
Polarization extinction ratio of > 100:1 and well-defined polarization axis and polarization axis stability of < 2°
Photonic return flux (brightness) > 25 Mph/m²/s
Enables adaptive optics control loop bandwidth > 2 kHz
Operational time: night, twilight and daylight

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 848413