Bit-error rate improvement of a laser communication system with low-order adaptive optics

Recent experiments performed at UNC Charlotte indicate a reduction in the bit-error rate for a laser communication system with the implementaion of low-order adaptive optics in a free-space communication link. With simulated atmospheric tilt injected by a conventional PZT tilt mirror, an adaptive optics system with a Xinetics tilt mirror was used in a closed loop. The laboratory experiments replicated a monostatic propagation with a cooperative wavefront beacon at the receiver. Due to constraints in the speed of the processing hardware, the data is scaled to represent an actual propagation of a few kilometers under moderate scintillation conditions. We compare the experimental data and calculated bit-error rate before correction and after correction and compare it with a rigorous theoretical prediction.