Performance of a demonstration system for simultaneous laser beacon tracking and low-data-rate optical communications with multiple platforms

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Abstract
The ability of a system based on a high-speed area array detector to simultaneously track and receive data from multiple low-power optical communication beacons is demonstrated. Specifically, the MOCTR POC system has achieved tracking precision of order 0.1 pixel with 2.7 picowatts, the minimum beacon power for the assumed system architecture; a data rate of 1 kbps with BER of order 1 to 10 x 10 exp -5, readily correctable with forward error correction; tracking and communication with simulated maximum earth background in the detector FOV; and simultaneous tracking of asynchronously modulated beacons. Areas needed to be addressed before an operational system can be implemented include reduction in size, weight and power, the demonstration of independent acquisition of multiple beacons, and the implementation of a full tracking algorithm in firmware.

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