Propagation of modulated light in water: implications for imaging and communications systems

Until recently, little has been done to study the effect of higher modulation frequencies (>100 MHz) or short (<2 ns) pulse durations on forward-scattered light in ocean water. This forward-scattered light limits image resolution and may ultimately limit the bandwidth of a point-to-point optical communications link. The purpose of this work is to study the propagation of modulated light fields at frequencies up to 1 GHz. Results from laboratory tank experiments and their impact on future underwater optical imaging and communications systems are discussed.