[Laser] Interesting AO, but still expensive

[Terry Morris W5TDM]

Boston Micromachine is making MEMS based deformable mirror for adaptive 
optics. A lot like TI's light processor except this is analog (linear) 
mirror movement. One of the applications is laser communications, with 
experments done at LLNL.
http://www.bostonmicromachines.com/applications_laser.htm
Still well outside our budget, but claim price will decrease with 
production.
Data Sheet on least expensive model:
http://www.bostonmicromachines.com/pdf/kilo.pdf
Experments at LLNL claim 8X increase in SNR, but range was only 1.5kM, so 
data rate must have been very high. Military is using to make optical 
transponder the size of match box for IDFOF down to feet on ground level.

Just an interesting website, but just shows the big boys are fighting the 
same problems.

73
Terry W5TDM

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