Optical system architecture design of multiple apertures array antenna for satellite-to-ground optical communication

Abstract

In satellite-to-ground laser communication links, atmospheric turbulence has a strong influence on communication quality, and a communication link is difficult to establish or break even in strong turbulence. Large aperture optical antenna not only manufacturing costs a lot, but also many factors including volume have to be limited, at the same time the system would be difficult to repaired when satellite platform antenna in space complex environment is failure, so it is a viable solution that multiple small apertures array antenna is place of large-aperture antenna in the future. In order to cope with the effects of atmospheric turbulence and ensure system stability and reliability, in this paper we designed a kind of receiving/transmitting array antenna composed of several small aperture telescopes combined with space diversity, and analyzed far-field intensity distribution according to Huygens -Fresnel theory.