High-bandwidth underwater data communication system

1. A system to optically transfer seismic data through an aqueous medium, comprising:

a retrieval device comprising:

a first optical transmitter to transmit light;

a first optical receiver;

one or more optical detectors to sense a relative angle of a second optical transmitter of an ocean bottom seismic (“OBS”) node; and

at least one controller to select, based on a signal from the one or more optical detectors of the retrieval device, an anode in a multiple-anode photomultiplier tube and align an angular field of view of the first optical receiver with the second optical transmitter of the OBS node;

the OBS node comprising:

a second optical receiver comprising one or more optical detectors to detect a presence of the retrieval device and sense a relative angle of the first optical transmitter of the retrieval device;

one or more controllers to adjust a transmission parameter used by the second optical transmitter to transmit light with the seismic data, and control the second optical transmitter to direct the light with the seismic data through the aqueous medium to the first optical receiver of the retrieval device; and

the second optical transmitter to enter a power up state responsive to detection, by the second optical receiver, of the presence of the retrieval device, and transmit the light with the seismic data through the aqueous medium using the transmission parameter adjusted by the one or more controllers, the light with the seismic data directed towards the first optical receiver through the aqueous medium by the one or more controllers;

the first optical receiver of the retrieval device to receive the light with the seismic data transmitted through the aqueous medium by the second optical transmitter of the OBS node;

a photodiode of the first optical receiver that generates electrical output based on the light with the seismic data transmitted by the second optical transmitter and received by the first optical receiver; and

a second optical retriever comprising one or more optical detectors to detect a presence of the retrieval device based on the light transmitted by the first optical transmitter of the retrieval device.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the OBS node comprises:

the one or more controllers to select, based on a signal from the one or more optical detectors of the OBS node, an anode in a multiple-anode photomultiplier tube.

3. The system of claim 1 , comprising:

the retrieval device to receive the seismic data from the OBS node placed on an ocean bottom, and store the seismic data in memory of the retrieval device.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the OBS node comprises:

the one or more controllers to adjust a transmission parameter used by the second optical transmitter to transmit light with the seismic data, and control the second optical transmitter to direct the light with the seismic data through the aqueous medium to the first optical receiver of the retrieval device based on the relative angle of the first optical transmitter of the retrieval device sensed by the one or more optical detectors.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the second optical transmitter comprises a solid state light sources comprising at least one of an InGaN based light source, an LED, and a laser.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the OBS node comprises:

the one or more controllers to adjust, responsive to identification of an underwater environmental condition, a transmission parameter used by the second optical transmitter to transmit light with the seismic data.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the OBS node comprises one or more diffractive optical elements to steer an optical transmission beam towards the retrieval device.

8. The system of claim 1 , comprising:

an automatic gain control amplifier of the retrieval device that receives the electrical output from the first optical receiver and adjusts a level of the electrical output.

9. A system to optically transfer seismic data through an aqueous medium, comprising:

a retrieval device comprising:

a first optical transceiver to transmit light and receive light;

an ocean bottom seismic (“OBS”) node comprising:

a second optical transceiver comprising one or more optical detectors to detect a presence of the retrieval device and sense a relative angle of the first optical transceiver;

a controller to adjust a transmission parameter used by the second optical transceiver to transmit light with the seismic data through the aqueous medium, and select, based on a signal from the one or more optical detectors of the OBS node, an anode in a multiple-anode photomultiplier tube and align an angular field of view of the second optical transceiver with the first optical transceiver; and

the second optical transceiver to enter a power up state responsive to detection, by a second optical receiver, of the presence of the retrieval device, and transmit the light with the seismic data through the aqueous medium using the transmission parameter adjusted by the controller;

the retrieval device comprising:

the first optical transceiver to receive the light with the seismic data transmitted through the aqueous medium by the second optical transceiver of the OBS node responsive to detection of the presence of the retrieval device;

a photodiode of the first optical transceiver that generates electrical output based on the light with the seismic data transmitted by the second optical transceiver and received by the first optical transceiver; and

the second optical transceiver comprising one or more optical detectors to detect the presence of the retrieval device based on the light transmitted by the first optical transceiver of the retrieval device.

10. The system of claim 9 , comprising:

one or more controllers to select, based on a signal from the one or more optical detectors of the retrieval device, an anode in a multiple-anode photomultiplier tube and align the angular field of view of the first optical transceiver with the second optical transceiver.

11. The system of claim 9 , wherein the first optical transceiver comprises a solid state light sources comprising at least one of an InGaN based light source, an LED, and a laser.

12. The system of claim 9 , comprising:

an automatic gain control amplifier of the retrieval device that receives the electrical output from the first optical transceiver and adjusts a level of the electrical output.

13. The system of claim 9 , wherein the first optical transceiver comprises at least one of a photomultiplier tube, a silicon photodiode, a silicon PIN photodiode, an avalanche photodiode, and a hybrid photodiode.

14. A method of optically transferring seismic data through an aqueous medium, comprising:

transmitting, by a retrieval device comprising a first optical transmitter and a first optical receiver, light;

detecting, by an ocean bottom seismic (“OBS”) node comprising a second optical receiver having one or more optical detectors, a presence of the retrieval device;

adjusting, by one or more controllers of the OBS node a transmission parameter used by a second optical transmitter to transmit light with seismic data;

controlling, by the one or more controllers of the OBS node, the second optical transmitter to direct the light with the seismic data through the aqueous medium to the first optical receiver of the retrieval device;

entering, by the second optical transmitter of the OBS node, a power up state responsive to detection, by the second optical receiver, of the presence of the retrieval device;

selecting, by at least one controller of the retrieval device, based on a signal from one or more optical detectors of the retrieval device, an anode in a multiple-anode photomultiplier tube to align an angular field of view of the first optical receiver with the second optical transmitter of the OBS node;

receiving, by the first optical receiver of the retrieval device, the light with the seismic data transmitted through the aqueous medium by the second optical transmitter of the OBS node;

generating, by a photodiode of the first optical receiver, electrical output based on the light received by the first optical receiver from the second optical transmitter;

sensing, by the one or more optical detectors of the retrieval device, a relative angle of the second optical transmitter of the OBS node; and

transmitting, by the second optical transmitter of the OBS node, the light with the seismic data through the aqueous medium using the transmission parameter adjusted by the at least one controller, the light with the seismic data directed towards the first optical receiver through the aqueous medium by the one or more controllers.

15. The method of claim 14 , comprising:

selecting, by the one or more controllers of the OBS node, based on a signal from the one or more optical detectors of the OBS node, an anode in a multiple-anode photomultiplier tube; and

aligning, by the OBS node, the angular field of view of a second optical transceiver with a first optical transceiver.

16. The method of claim 14 , comprising:

steering, by one or more diffractive optical elements of the OBS node, an optical transmission beam towards the retrieval device.

17. The method of claim 14 , comprising:

transmitting, by the OBS node to the retrieval device, the seismic data using a multi-carrier transmission modulation technique.

18. The method of claim 14 , comprising:

sensing, by the OBS node, a relative angle of the first optical transmitter of the retrieval device; and

adjusting, by the one or more controllers of the OBS node, responsive to identification of an underwater environmental condition, the transmission parameter used by the second optical transmitter to transmit light with seismic data.

19. The method of claim 14 , comprising:

sensing, by the one or more optical detectors of the retrieval device, a relative angle of the second optical transmitter of the OBS node.

20. The method of claim 14 , wherein a second optical transceiver comprises at least one of a photomultiplier tube, a silicon photodiode, a silicon PIN photodiode, an avalanche photodiode, and a hybrid photodiode.