Dec 9 2010
Photonics solutions provider, SA Photonics has declared that the open ocean experiment of its underwater communications system, Neptune, has been carried out successfully. The company has conducted the experiment along with Scripps Institute of Oceanography in the San Diego port.
The Neptune has attained data rates of up to 50 Mb/s at distances that exceed 20 attenuation lengths in muddy shore water by accurately adjusting a fiber laser of visible wavelength.
The data rates offered by the Neptune system are 1000 times greater when compared to current acoustic modems available in the market. This feature allows the required bandwidth for vital undersea applications.
The Neptune system can automatically adjust the data rates and modulation formats based on the link distance and the quality of water. The communication system features a BeamDirector that offers accurate pointing, closed loop acquirement and tracing for the optical link. The system is lightweight, compact and energy efficient. These features enable the system to be deployed easily in automatic undersea vehicles, ships, submarines and mini-submarines.
President and Chief Executive Officer of SA Photonics, Jim Coward commented that Neptune enables effective communication in littoral waters that are acoustically loud where conventional acoustic modems experience difficulty. The system can communicate between automatic undersea vehicles, submarines and ships even in muddy inshore waters, he added.
Source: http://www.saphotonics.com