Digital Communication System Based on Polarization Self-Modulation in Lasers

Polarization self-modulation in lasers can be used to create instruments for generating optical pulses at very high repetition rates without using high-speed electronics. Self-oscillation is observed when part of the output of a laser is returned to the laser after a 90° polarization change. A practical scheme based on polarization self-modulation in a 3.39-μm helium-neon laser is proposed for pulsed code data transmission with an yttrium-iron garnet magnetooptical Q-switch. Highly efficient transmission of digital signals is implemented with a repetition rate of 75 MHz, equivalent to half the free spectral range of the laser.