Abstract: The imaging system includes a photonic circuit chip having multiple cores. Each of the cores includes an optical switch and multiple alternate waveguides. The optical switch in each core is configured to direct an outgoing light signal to any one of the alternate waveguides, the alternate waveguide to which the outgoing light signal is directed being an active waveguide. Each core outputs the outgoing LIDAR signal from the active waveguide while receiving an incoming LIDAR signal that includes light from the outgoing LIDAR signal, has exited from the imaging system, and has returned to the imaging system. Each core includes a signal splitter that receives the outgoing LIDAR signal and the incoming LIDAR signal. The signal splitter extracts a portion of the outgoing LIDAR signal that serves as a reference signal and at least a portion of the incoming LIDAR signal that serves as a comparative signal.

Abstract: A reconfigurable QKD transceiver capable of transmitting and/or receiving qubits using a single optical hardware platform. This reconfigurable QKD transceiver enables various link scenarios specially for LEO-ground network, where the satellites have limited engagement time with a ground station. The reconfigurable QKD transceiver may reduce the optics SWaP by 50 percent and may allow for new mission scenarios that were otherwise not feasible with a transmitter only architecture or receiver only architecture.

Abstract: A method for performing an operation on an input signal includes receiving, by a multi-mode waveguide, the input signal imposed on laser light. The received input signal imposed on the laser light is propagated through the waveguide a plurality of times in a plurality of modes, the modes interfering each time they propagate through the waveguide to generate an interference pattern of the plurality of modes. Portions of the interference pattern of the plurality of modes are nonlinearly activated each time those modes propagate through the multi-mode waveguide. Portions of the activated interference pattern of the plurality of modes are output to an optical detector array in parallel with one another each time those modes propagate through the multi-mode waveguide.

Abstract: A method for performing an operation on an input signal includes receiving, by a multi-mode waveguide, the input signal imposed on laser light. The received input signal imposed on the laser light is propagated through the waveguide a plurality of times in a plurality of modes, the modes interfering each time they propagate through the waveguide to generate an interference pattern of the plurality of modes. Portions of the interference pattern of the plurality of modes are nonlinearly activated each time those modes propagate through the multi-mode waveguide. Portions of the activated interference pattern of the plurality of modes are output to an optical detector array in parallel with one another each time those modes propagate through the multi-mode waveguide.

Abstract: A speckle-enhanced discrete Fourier transform spectrometer can include waveguides configured to combine speckle spectroscopy techniques with discrete Fourier transform spectroscopy techniques. A discrete Fourier transform spectrometer section can be a compact, passive, chip-scale optical spectrometer. A speckle spectrometer section can include a multi-mode wave guide. An interference region can be in optical communication with both the discrete Fourier transform spectrometer section and the speckle spectrometer section such that light from both sections interfere in the interference region. A detector can be used to detect light from the interference region for detecting spectral content of light over a large bandwidth at a high resolution.