High-power optical amplifiers enable 1550-nm terrestrial free-space optical data links operating at WDM 2.5-Gb/s data rates

Optical amplifiers are an enabling technology for free space laser communications. Transmission of four multiplexed 2.5 Gbps channels at 1550 nm over a 4.4 km terrestrial link is described and modeled.© (1999) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.