Suppression of Intensity Fluctuations in Free Space High-Speed Optical Communication Based on Spectral Encoding of a Partially Coherent Beam

A new concept of a free-space, high-speed (Gbps) optical communication system based on spectral encoding of radiation from a broadband pulsed laser is developed. It is shown that, in combination with the use of partially coherent laser beams and a relatively slow photosensor, scintillations can be suppressed by orders of magnitude for distances of more than 10 km. We also consider the spectral encoding of radiation from a LED as a gigabit rate solution of the "last mile" problem and rapid-deployment systems for disaster recovery.