Annular beams for reliable intersatellite optical communications

Free-space optical communications (FSOC) are a key enabling technology for future high-capacity space-based networks. Particularly, the backbone of global communication relies on intersatellite optical links. In a previous study [Opt. Express32, 31597 (2024)10.1364/OE.533250], the authors proposed a method to mitigate the impact of transmitter pointing jitter by using a superposition of orthogonally polarized Gaussian and higher-order Laguerre-Gaussian (LG) beams. In this study, we experimentally characterize the proposed system using a spiral phase plate (SPP) to generate higher-order annular beams. We demonstrate that such superpositions can be reliably generated in a realistic optical setup, quantify the associated beam-shaping errors and losses, and assess their impact on intersatellite optical communication performance. It is found that the proposed beam-shaping approach can still yield power savings on the order of 20% compared to a conventional Gaussian beam under the considered conditions.