An astronaut on the International Space Station (ISS) is experimenting with a solid-state green laser communications system from on-orbit at 435 km altitude to the earth's surface with a wavelength of 532nm and beam divergence (width) of 10 radians or 5.73 x 10-150 << 1°. The indices of refraction in free space and the atmosphere are no = 1.00000 ..., and na = 1.000293. Although density in the atmosphere varies continuously from the thinness of the upper atmosphere (near p → 0) to higher density at the surface, refraction can be modeled as a “surface' mid-atmosphere just like classic Snell's Law calculations. (d) What is the refracted wavelength, and the speed of the laser beam in air? (e) If the communications bit rate is the inverse of the laser frequency period [s], what is this bit rate?

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Chapter3: Interference
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Problem 86AP: The movable mirror of a Michelson interferometer is attached to one end of a thin metal rod of...
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An astronaut on the International Space Station (ISS) is experimenting with a solid-state green laser communications system from on-orbit at 435 km altitude to the earth's surface with a wavelength of 532nm and beam divergence (width) of 10 radians or 5.73 x 10-150 << 1°. The indices of refraction in free space and the atmosphere are no = 1.00000 ..., and na = 1.000293. Although density in the atmosphere varies continuously from the thinness of the upper atmosphere (near p → 0) to higher density at the surface, refraction can be modeled as a “surface' mid-atmosphere just like classic Snell's Law calculations.


(d) What is the refracted wavelength, and the speed of the laser beam in air?


(e) If the communications bit rate is the inverse of the laser frequency period [s], what is this bit rate?

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