Patent ID: 7343098
Filing Date: 2008-03-11
Classification: H01Q,H01S

Abstract:
1. A fiber optic phased array comprising: a plurality of fiber optic amplifiers for amplifying respective optical signals propagating therealong; an outbound wavefront sensor for detecting the phase of the optical signals emitted by respective fiber optic amplifiers and transmitted toward a target; an atmospheric wavefront sensor for detecting the phase of the optical signals that have been reflected by the target; a plurality of phase modulators associated with said plurality of fiber optic amplifiers for controllably altering the phase of the respective optical signals propagating therealong in response to the phase of the optical signals detected by said outbound wavefront sensor and said atmospheric wavefront sensor; an amplitude sensor for detecting the amplitude of the optical signals that have been reflected by the target; and a gain adjustment mechanism for controllably altering the amplitude of the optical signals propagating along respective fiber optic amplifiers in response to the amplitude of the optical signals detected by said amplitude sensor, wherein said gain adjustment mechanism controllably alters the amplitude of the optical signals propagating along the respective fiber optic amplifiers such that a time-average of the amplitude of the optical signals emitted by each fiber optic amplifier is no greater than a damage threshold of the respective fiber optic amplifier while permitting the amplitude of the optical signals emitted by at least one fiber optic amplifier to temporarily exceed the damage threshold of the respective fiber optic amplifier.