Effects of underwater turbulence on laser beam propagation and coupling into single-mode optical fiber.
We characterize and compare the effects of turbulence on underwater laser propagation with theory. Measurements of the coupling efficiency of the focused beam into a single-mode fiber are reported. A simple tip-tilt control system, based on the position of the image centroid in the focal plane, was shown to maintain good coupling efficiency for a beam radius equal to the transverse coherence length, r(0). These results are relevant to high bandwidth communication technology that requires good spatial mode quality.
Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific, San Diego, California 92152, USA. hansonfe@spawar.navy.mil
Frank
F
Hanson
Mark
M
Lasher