A team of scientists working under an Air Force Office of Scientific Research-funded effort may have found a “simple, reliable, and cost effective” way to manipulate a laser beam to sustain high data rates under a variety of conditions, reports Maria Callier of AFOSR. Their wave optics simulation could prove useful for space communications, optical tracking, and other Air Force applications. “If successful, our work can lead to free space communication systems that can carry high bandwidth data, that are almost impossible to intercept,” said team leader David Voelz with New Mexico State University.
The U.S. military is maintaining a beefed-up presence in the Middle East, including fighters and air defense assets, following the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities June 22 and subsequent retaliation by the Iranians against Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
