Multiple-Beam Transmission for Optical Communication

Multiple-beam transmission has been proposed to reduce the deleterious effects of atmospheric turbulence on free-space laser communications - especially on uplinks from ground stations to Earth-orbiting satellites. The deleterious effects in question are signal fades and surges associated with scintillation, beam broadening, and beam wander. These effects are caused by amplitude and phase fluctuations that, in turn, are caused by turbulence-induced spatial and temporal fluctuations in the index of refraction of air.