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Updated: May 27, 2026

Transmission of Multiple Signals through an Optical Fiber Using Wavefront Shaping

Transmission of Multiple Signals through an Optical Fiber Using Wavefront Shaping

Published on: March 20, 2017

Spatial bandwidth considerations for optical communication through a free space propagation link.

Glenn A Tyler¹

¹The Optical Sciences Company, 1341 S. Sunkist Street, Anaheim, California 92806-5614, USA. glenn.a.tyler@tosc.com

|December 6, 2011

Summary

This study analyzes spatial bandwidth limitations in free-space optical communication. The spatial bandwidth, measured in bits per photon, is found to be logarithmically dependent on the Fresnel number of the optical link.

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Quasi-light Storage for Optical Data Packets

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Transmission of Multiple Signals through an Optical Fiber Using Wavefront Shaping

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Quasi-light Storage for Optical Data Packets

Quasi-light Storage for Optical Data Packets

Published on: February 6, 2014

Area of Science:

Optical communication
Quantum information science
Free-space optics

Background:

Free-space optical communication links face transverse limitations due to finite apertures.
Transmitted states, representing spatial information, are crucial for data transmission.
Orbital angular momentum (OAM) states are candidates for efficient information encoding.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the spatial bandwidth limitations in free-space optical communication links.
To quantify the spatial bandwidth in terms of bits per transmitted photon.
To analyze the impact of aperture size, wavelength, and propagation distance on bandwidth.

Main Methods:

The study models the optical propagation link with finite apertures.
It assumes transmission of orbital angular momentum (OAM) states with controlled radial functions for minimum energy loss.
Spatial bandwidth is calculated as the product of average link efficiency and channel entropy.

Main Results:

The spatial bandwidth is found to be approximately equal to log base 2 of the Fresnel number.
The Fresnel number is defined by transmitting and receiving aperture diameters, wavelength, and propagation distance.
This indicates a direct relationship between the physical parameters of the link and its information capacity.

Conclusions:

Finite apertures in free-space optical communication significantly limit spatial bandwidth.
The derived formula provides a method to estimate the maximum achievable data rate per photon.
Optimizing OAM states and link parameters can enhance the capacity of free-space optical communication systems.