Patent ID: 6583911
Filing Date: 2003-06-24
Classification: H04B

Abstract:
An free-space optical communication system for transmitting data from an optical transmitter to an optical receiver, said free-space optical communication system comprising:an optical transmitter at a first location, said optical transmitter comprising a femtosecond pulsed laser source for producing a train of femtosecond laser pulses, said pulses having a pulse width in the range of from about 1 attosecond to about 1000 femtoseconds, said optical transmitter further comprising a laser pulse width modulator for modulating the pulse width of said laser pulses to provide a pulse width modulated train of femtosecond laser pulses corresponding to said data being transmitted; and an optical receiver at a second location, said optical receiver for receiving said modulated train of femtosecond laser pulses, said optical receiver comprising a spectral analyzer for receiving and determining the spectral components of said pulse width modulated train of femtosecond laser pulses, said optical receiver further comprising decoder circuitry operable to replicate said transmitted data based on said spectral components of said modulated train of femtosecond laser pulses.