Reducing scintillation noise in free space optical communications

An optical system for guiding and/or targeting, the optical system comprising:

• an optical source configured to generate a first beam of light;
• and
• a modulator configured to modulate the first beam of light to generate a second beam of light;
• wherein:
• the second beam of light comprises a first portion;
• photons of the first portion arrive at a target, after traveling through a variably refractive medium, according to a temporal distribution curve;
• and
• a full-width-at-half-maximum value (FWHM value) of the temporal distribution curve is greater than a coherence time value equal to a coherence length of the first portion divided by a speed of light through the variably refractive medium.

A method for power beaming, the method comprising:

• generating, by an optical source, a beam of light;
• and
• transmitting the beam of light through a variably refractive medium to a target system;
• wherein:
• photons of the beam of light arrive at the target system, after traveling through a variably refractive medium, according to a propagation time distribution curve,
• the target system uses the beam of light to remotely power the target system,
• the beam of light has a coherence length, and
• the coherence length is less than the propagation time distribution curve.