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Also, conventional radio can be steered with multiple transmitters, right? Is there a way to steer laser beams in a solid state way?
by mikepurvis 4y ago
Also, conventional radio can be steered with multiple transmitters, right? Is there a way to steer laser beams in a solid state way?
- JumpCrisscross 4y ago> way to steer laser beams in a solid state way? Yes, MEMs and waveguides.
- georgeg23 4y agoUnfortunately not ready for prime time yet, optical beamforming today is only a few degrees steerable angle and single beam. Also low power and poorly focused.
- JumpCrisscross 4y ago> not ready for prime time yet Totally agree. But the frontier is advancing thanks to LiDAR. And in the meantime, the advantages of laser relay and downlink are vast enough to make mechanical actuation worth it. Particularly for unboosted birds in LEO.
- georgeg23 4y agoCurious how LiDAR tech could be used for high speed communication? At best that is time-multiplexing, not multiple parallel beams of information?
- JumpCrisscross 4y ago> Curious how LiDAR tech could be used for high speed communication? Lasers don’t care if they’re carrying data out or on return. The same optics being pursued for LiDAR have applications in communications. Solid-state waveguides and MEMS being examples.