Lunar Optical Communications Link Demonstration Between NASA's Ladee Spacecraft and ESA's Optical Ground Station

Zayer, I.; Sodnik, Zoran; Daddato, Robert; Lanucara, Marco; Schulz, Klaus-Juergen; Smit, Hans; Sans, Marc; Becker, Peter; Giggenbach, Dirk; Calvo, Ramon Mata; Fuchs, Christian; Rothman, J.

doi:10.2514/6.2014-1919

Cited by 4 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…Virtual Conference 30 March-2 April 2021 a detector module by CEA-Leti employed as ground detector to demonstrate the ESA Lunar Optical Communications Link (LOCL) between NASA's Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) spacecraft and ESA's Optical Ground Station (OGS) on the Canary Island [9]. This latter demonstration was able to support a downlink transmission from LADEE at a data rate of 71.1Mbps at 1550 nm.…”

Section: Icso 2020 International Conference On Space Opticsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reaching GHz single photon detection rates with HgCdTe avalanche photodiodes detectors

Pes

Rothman

Bleuet

et al. 2021

International Conference on Space Optics — ICSO 2020

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In the present communication, the characterization results of an in-house developed four-quadrants detection module based on HgCdTe APDs and a Si-CMOS ROIC pre-amplifier is discussed. The module has been designed to be employed as high data rate ground-segment detector for 1.55 μm long-distance free-space optical communication links in the framework of a project funded by the European Space Agency. The detector is characterized by a multiplication gain in excess of M = 150, a ROIC input referred noise of Ne = 45 electrons rms and a measured bandwidth of BW = 450 MHz. These characteristics enable the linear-mode detection of meso-photonic states ranging from tens of photons per pulse down to the single-photon level at high count rates exceeding 500 MHz per quadrant (and 2 GHz if the signal is dispatched over all four-quadrants). For the present module, the performance for PPM and OOK modulation formats was estimated and its potentiality for long-distance free-space optical communications employing these modulation formats was validated. In particular, for the PPM format, a detection probability of 0.9 and a false alarm probability of 10 -2 , a minimum PPM slot width of 500 ps and a temporal jitter with a FWHM ~ 160 ps were estimated, for an incident photonic state with 10 photons/pulse. The potentiality of the detector for 625 Mbps OOK modulation format was also evaluated and compared with a quantum limited situation. In this case, a -3.9 dB penalty from the quantum limited BER was obtained. A new generation of detectors is currently in development, which is expected to further improve the performance.

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Section: Icso 2020 International Conference On Space Opticsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reaching GHz single photon detection rates with HgCdTe avalanche photodiodes detectors

Pes

Rothman

Bleuet

et al. 2021

International Conference on Space Optics — ICSO 2020

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“…Both focal plane arrays (FPAs) and large area single element using HgCdTe APDs have been developed to detect without signal degradation the spatial and/or temporal information contained in photon fluxes with a low number of photon in each spatio-temporal bin. The enhancement in performance that can be achieved with HgCdTe has subsequently been demonstrated in a wide scope of applications such as astronomical observations, active imaging, deep space telecommunications, atmospheric LIDAR and mid-IR (MIR) time resolved photoluminescence measurements using detectors manufactured at CEA/Leti [1]- [6], DRS Leonardo [7]- [10] and Leonardo [11], [12].…”

Section: Hgcdte Apds Detector Developments At Cea/leti For Atmospherimentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A first HgCdTe APDs detector module was developed at CEA/Leti for deep space telecommunications. Characterized by a bandwidth of 80 MHz and a NEP=65fW/√Hz (BW= 80 MHz), it was successfully used to demonstrate 80 Mbps rate from moon to earth during the LLCD experiment, in collaboration with ESA and NASA [1], [2]. This demonstration has spurred the interest for HgCdTe APDs for this application and we are presently developing two new detector modules for high sensitivity deep space FSA, with ESA, and for high 10 Gbps communication closer to earth in collaboration with Mynaric Lasercom GmbH.…”

Section: Detectors For Fsomentioning

confidence: 99%

HgCdTe APDs detector developments at CEA/Leti for atmospheric lidar and free space optical communications

Rothman¹,

Bleuet

Abergel

et al. 2019

International Conference on Space Optics — ICSO 2018

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HgCdTe APD detector modules telecommunication are developed at CEA/Leti for atmospheric LIDAR and free space optical (FSO). The development is driven by the design and manufacture of generic sub-assemblies that can be adapted in each detector module to meet the specific detector requirements of each application. The optimization of such subassemblies is detailed in perspective of the challenges that are set by the specifications for detector modules currently developed for atmospheric LIDAR, in the scope of an R&T CNES project for Airbus and an H2020 project HOLDON, and FSO, in the scope of an ESA project and in collaboration with Mynaric Lasercom GmbH. Two detector modules have recently been delivered to Airbus DS for extensive LIDAR simulation tests. Initial characterization of these modules shows that the input noise, NEP=10-15fW/√Hz (5 photons rms) have been reduced by a factor three compared to previously developed large area detectors although the bandwidth have been increased to 180 MHz in order to respond to the requirements of high spatial depth resolution. The temporal remanence was 10 -4 at 200 ns after the detection of short light impulse, which is compatible with demanding LIDAR applications such as bathymetric profiling.

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“…The use of HgCdTe APD detector for deep space optical communications was first demonstrated within the scope of NASAs Lunar Laser Communication Demonstration (LLCD), in which a detector from CEA/Leti was used to receive up to 78 Mbps at 20 photons per bit 16-ary pulse position modulated (ppm) data at ESAs OGS on Tenerife [5], [6]. A higher data-rate (622 Mbps) at a lower value of ppb was demonstrated by NASA and MIT/LL using super conduction nanowire detectors (SNSPDs) [7].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

HgCdTe APD detector module for deep space optical communications

Rothman,

Pes,

Abergel

et al. 2023

International Conference on Space Optics — ICSO 2022

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A 4-quadrant large area HgCdTe APD detector module have been developed and characterized in view of application in deep space optical communications. Single photon detection capacity has been demonstrated on each of the four channels of the detector module, associated with a bandwidth close to 400 MHz. The performance for pulse position modulation (ppm) has been estimated from the detection of strongly attenuated laser pulses and were found to be close to the system performance specifications given by ESA: the pulse detection probability in a time slot of 800 ps was measured to be higher about 90 % for a signal of 7 photons focused on the center on one channels, associated with a false alarm rate below 1 %, although the sensitivity of the full detector module was limited by a low quantum efficiency and a high dark count rate. With a 16-ary ppm modulation, this corresponds to a data rate of 320 Mbps at less than 2 photons per bit.

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Lunar Optical Communications Link Demonstration Between NASA's Ladee Spacecraft and ESA's Optical Ground Station

Cited by 4 publications

References 2 publications

Reaching GHz single photon detection rates with HgCdTe avalanche photodiodes detectors

Reaching GHz single photon detection rates with HgCdTe avalanche photodiodes detectors

HgCdTe APDs detector developments at CEA/Leti for atmospheric lidar and free space optical communications

HgCdTe APD detector module for deep space optical communications

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