Architecture for an Over-the-Horizon Wireless Power Transmission system at 10.6 microns with rectenna power converters

Recent proposals for an Over-the-Horizon Wireless Power Transmission (OTH-WPT) system involving tethered aerostats have been based on rapidly improving technology of solid-state lasers and photovoltaics in the near-infrared as a roadmap to feasibility. OTH-WPT may also be feasible in the LWIR particularly at 10.6 microns, a wavelength that has advantages in terms of mature transmitter technology, laser eye safety, and less deleterious atmospheric effects. Most of the subsystems of OTH-WPT at this wavelength are mature, commercially available technologies. In this article we present the architecture for a 10.6 micron OTH-WPT system. We review the state-of-the art in terahertz rectenna technology and discuss key issues that must be resolved for the feasibility of an OTH-WPT demonstration at this wavelength.