To meet the requirements of non-mechanical beam scanning and acquisition in space laser communication, this study proposes a two-dimensional scanning and acquisition method based on a silicon-based optical phased array (OPA). The OPA utilizes thermo-optic phase modulation to achieve horizontal beam pointing, while vertical beam pointing is controlled by wavelength tuning. By combining the OPA with a rectangular spiral scanning strategy, non-mechanical scanning is realized and beam acquisition experiments are carried out. Experimental results demonstrate that for an 8° step signal, the horizontal and vertical rise times are 156.8 μs and 214.76 ms, respectively. A full scan of 440 points covering a ±4° field of view is completed in 8.119 s. Acquisition experiments were conducted assuming a Gaussian-distributed uncertainty region (standard deviation $\sigma =1°$). Out of 106 independent trials, a success rate of 97.17% was achieved with an average acquisition time of 0.41 s. This work experimentally applies a rectangular spiral scanning strategy to an OPA-based acquisition system, addressing a capability that has been largely missing in previous studies. These results verify that the OPA technology has good scanning efficiency and acquisition robustness in space laser communication applications.

With the development of space laser networks, miniaturization and lightweight design have become inevitable trends in laser terminal development. In laser links, functions such as spot position measurement, ranging, and data transmission are usually performed by multiple independent units. Integrating these three functions can effectively reduce the size of the opto-mechanical structure and save space within the optical transceiver, thereby supporting the lightweight and compact growth of laser terminals. This paper presents an integrated scheme based on an optical direct-sequence spread-spectrum (DSSS) quadrant detector (QD) and regenerative codes, which enables spot position measurement, ranging, and data transmission through an optical transceiver. The core of this approach involves using a code tracking loop to perform correlation gain calculation, phase comparison, and demodulation of the pseudo-noise code-modulated laser signal, thereby achieving all three functions simultaneously. A desktop experimental system was built to test and verify the scheme’s accuracy and precision. The system achieved a ranging accuracy of 14 mm (1σ), a spot position measurement accuracy of 0.83 μm (1σ) at the target center, and a communication sensitivity of −31 dBm at a 10⁻⁴ bit error rate (BER) with a data rate of 1 Kbps. This study provides a reference for future lightweight optical terminals.

In inter-satellite laser communication systems, angular deviations between the boresights of terminals exert an impact on system performance, thereby imposing higher requirements on performance parameters such as the angle measurement accuracy and range of the system. Conventional coherent angle measurement systems feature a fixed baseline, which results in insufficient dynamic adjustment capability for accuracy and range. To address the aforementioned issues, this paper proposes a variable-baseline coherent angle measurement method based on nutation scanning. By altering the baseline length through a nutation scanning strategy, this method achieves dynamic adjustment of angle measurement accuracy and range, enhancing the adaptability of the angle measurement system in different scenarios. For long-distance communication, a small nutation scanning angle (short baseline) is used to adapt to significant satellite relative position changes via a large angle measurement range, while a large nutation scanning angle (long baseline) is adopted for short-distance communication to ensure stable tracking with high angle measurement accuracy. Firstly, a mathematical model of the system is established, and the relationships between the nutation scanning angle, angle measurement accuracy, and angle measurement range are derived. The Monte Carlo method is employed to construct a variable-baseline angle measurement simulation system for data verification, and a tabletop experimental system is built for performance analysis. Experimental results show that when the nutation scanning angle γ increases from 10 μrad to 100 μrad, the baseline length increases from 0.05 μm to 0.5 μm, the angle measurement accuracy improves from 56.9 μrad to 6.35 μrad, and the angle measurement range narrows from 880 μrad to 560 μrad. These results are consistent with the trend of theoretical derivation and correspond to the simulation results. This study verifies the feasibility of dynamically regulating angle measurement accuracy and range via the nutation scanning angle and provides a reference for the design of space laser communication systems.