Modular coherent photonic-aided payload receiver for communications satellites

Abstract

Ubiquitous satellite communications are in a leading position for bridging the digital divide. Fulfilling such a mission will require satellite services on par with fibre services, both in bandwidth and cost. Achieving such a performance requires a new generation of communications payloads powered by large-scale processors, enabling a dynamic allocation of hundreds of beams with a total capacity beyond 1 Tbit s−1. The fact that the scale of the processor is proportional to the wavelength of its signals has made photonics a key technology for its implementation. However, one last challenge hinders the introduction of photonics: while large-scale processors demand a modular implementation, coherency among signals must be preserved using simple methods. Here, we demonstrate a coherent photonic-aided receiver meeting such demands. This work shows that a modular and coherent photonic-aided payload is feasible, making way to an extensive introduction of photonics in next generation communications satellites.

Description
Keywords
communication, electron, equipment component, satellite altimetry, technological development, wavelength
Citation
Duarte, V. C., Prata, J. G., Ribeiro, C. F., Nogueira, R. N., Winzer, G., Zimmermann, L., et al. (2019). Modular coherent photonic-aided payload receiver for communications satellites. 10. https://doi.org//10.1038/s41467-019-10077-4
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License
CC BY 4.0 Unported