Alignment-Tolerant Optical Fi-Wi-Fi Bridge Assisted by a Focal Plane Array Beamformer as Air Interface

Fuente: arXiv
Gespeichert in:
Bibliographische Detailangaben
Hauptverfasser: Honz, Florian, Schrenk, Bernhard
Format: Preprint
Veröffentlicht: 2025
Schlagworte:
Online-Zugang:
Tags: Tag hinzufügen
Keine Tags, Fügen Sie den ersten Tag hinzu!
_version_ 1866910888436432896
author Honz, Florian
Schrenk, Bernhard
author_facet Honz, Florian
Schrenk, Bernhard
contents Terrestrial free-space optical (FSO) links are an ideal candidate to extend the bandwidth continuum offered by fiber networks, yet at the expense of unfavorable cost credentials due to highly complex opto-mechanical setups. As a response to this challenge, we present a simple fiber-based focal plane array (FPA) architecture which contributes beamforming functionality to an FSO link that bridges the gap between two single-mode fiber ports. Through use of space-switched and wavelength-routed beamforming networks, which together with a photonic lantern provide a compact arrangement of up to 61 fine-pitched optical antenna elements on a fiber tip, we experimentally demonstrate that our FPA can assist the channel optimization of an FSO link after rough initial beam pointing. We show that favorable coupling conditions can be accomplished between two standard single-mode fibers, which enables us to successfully retain the fiber continuum by achieving error-free 10 Gb/s/λ data transmission in a space-switched out-door fiber-wireless-fiber scenario.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2503_17048
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Alignment-Tolerant Optical Fi-Wi-Fi Bridge Assisted by a Focal Plane Array Beamformer as Air Interface
Honz, Florian
Schrenk, Bernhard
Optics
Terrestrial free-space optical (FSO) links are an ideal candidate to extend the bandwidth continuum offered by fiber networks, yet at the expense of unfavorable cost credentials due to highly complex opto-mechanical setups. As a response to this challenge, we present a simple fiber-based focal plane array (FPA) architecture which contributes beamforming functionality to an FSO link that bridges the gap between two single-mode fiber ports. Through use of space-switched and wavelength-routed beamforming networks, which together with a photonic lantern provide a compact arrangement of up to 61 fine-pitched optical antenna elements on a fiber tip, we experimentally demonstrate that our FPA can assist the channel optimization of an FSO link after rough initial beam pointing. We show that favorable coupling conditions can be accomplished between two standard single-mode fibers, which enables us to successfully retain the fiber continuum by achieving error-free 10 Gb/s/λ data transmission in a space-switched out-door fiber-wireless-fiber scenario.
title Alignment-Tolerant Optical Fi-Wi-Fi Bridge Assisted by a Focal Plane Array Beamformer as Air Interface
topic Optics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2503.17048