MONOSTATIC FREE-SPACE OPTICAL COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

A free-space optical communication terminal includes an optical antenna configured to receive, through a first aperture, a laser beam characterized by wavelengths in a first wavelength range, a collimator configured to couple the received laser beam into an optical fiber, a receiver subsystem comprising a first bandpass filter characterized by a pass band including the first wavelength range, a transmitter subsystem configured to generate a laser beam to be transmitted through the first aperture by the optical antenna and characterized by wavelengths in a second wavelength range outside of the pass band of the first bandpass filter, and a circulator coupled to the optical fiber, the receiver subsystem, and the transmitter subsystem. The circulator is configured to direct the received laser beam from the optical fiber to the receiver subsystem, and direct the laser beam to be transmitted from the transmitter subsystem to the optical fiber.