Patent ID: 7113707

Claim:
A method of optically interconnecting a first station to a second station by coupling a first optical beam and a second optical beam, the first optical beam originating from the first station and being directed to the second station, the second optical beam originating from the second station and being directed to the first station, the method comprising: (a) providing a first adaptive optical module and a second adaptive optical module, the first adaptive optical module comprising a first adaptive optical wavefront corrector and a first wavefront error sensor, the second adaptive optical module comprising a second adaptive optical wavefront corrector and a second wavefront error sensor; (b) disposing the first adaptive optical module in a path of the first beam for (i) reflecting and directing the first beam from the first adaptive optical wavefront corrector to the second adaptive optical module; (ii) after reflecting of a corrected first beam by the first adaptive optical wavefront corrector, a first part of the corrected first beam is directed to the first wavefront error sensor; (iii) the first wavefront error sensor sensing a distortion of the first beam, computing a correction, and addressing the first adaptive optical wavefront corrector to reduce the distortion of the first beam by producing the corrected first beam after reflection of the first beam by the first adaptive optical wavefront corrector; and (iv) reflecting the second beam received from the second adaptive optical module, and directing the second beam to the first station; and (c) disposing the second adaptive optical module in a path of the second beam for (i) reflecting and directing the second beam from the second adaptive optical wavefront corrector to the first adaptive optical module; (ii) after reflecting of a corrected second beam by the second adaptive optical wavefront corrector, a first part of the corrected second beam is directed to the second wavefront error sensor; (iii) the second wavefront error sensor sensing a distortion of the second beam, computing a correction, and addressing the second adaptive optical wavefront corrector to reduce the distortion of the second beam by producing the corrected second beam after reflection of the second beam by the second adaptive optical wavefront corrector; and (iv) reflecting the first beam received from the first adaptive optical module, and directing the first beam to the second station.