Spatial Tracking System for Heterodyne Optical Communication

Optical heterodyne techniques are used to meet the stringent angular tracking requirements necessary for an optical communication system to operate properly. The spatial tracking system is assumed to operate in its linear region, use semiconductor lasers, and use a squaring loop to combat the frequency noise due to the lasers. The results reveal a near optimum detector array and a near optimum LO field distribution. Also included are some preliminary experimental results.