Domino
Warden of the Ice
Image Source: Here
Intent: A new form of short-range communication.
Development Thread: None
Manufacturer: Phenex Industries
Model: Laser Comm
Affiliation: Open Market
Modularity: None
Production: Mass-Produced
Material: Durasteel, Electronics
Description: Due to the prevalence of tactical jamming of radio waves, Phenex created a new short-range1 communication system with the intent of foiling such broad-spectrum attacks. Utilizing optical lasers, communications and data can be sent on a direct line from unit to unit much like a modern fiber-optic line. Naturally physical obstructions such as derbies, smoke, clouds, other ships, and so on would prevent the laser from reaching one of the receivers stopping the transmission. And as it's a light based system, it's hindered by the speed of light2 and the ability for the projectors and receivers to track one another. An upper limit of approximately 50 million kilometers3 without relays was established, this dropped even further to 1 million kilometers when encryption was introduced using an interferometric pattern to generate and measure complex interference patterns; though communication shuts off as soon as it's interrupted until a known receiver is reestablished. The tight laser beam is impossible to detect with the naked eye unless it's refracted by a cloud of dust and near-impossible to detect unless it hits a light sensor before it shuts down.
Typically a capital ship would mount half a dozen to take into account relative positioning in space while a command ship could mount several scores to effectively direct multiple ships at once. A gunship or dropship would likely mount no more than one and only specialty fighters would use up space on this system.
1A typical solar system has a 4.503 billion km axis
21.08 Billion km/h
3As Mars's closest distance to Earth has been recorded as 55,758,006 km, this makes laser comm unsuitable for even interplanetary communication.
Primary Source: Wikipedia
Pros: Near impossible to detect
Circumvents communications jamming
Cons: Short Range
Easily interrupted
Only communicates with one ship at a time
Suffers light lag
