Optimized multiemitter beams for free-space optical communications through turbulent atmosphere

Using laser beams with less than perfect spatial coherence is an effective way of reducing scintillations in free-space optical communication links. We report a proof-of-principle experiment that quantifies this concept for a particular type of a partially coherent beam. In our scaled model of a free-space optical communication link, the beam is composed of several partially overlapping fundamental Gaussian beams that are mutually incoherent. The turbulent atmosphere is simulated by a random phase screen imprinted with Kolmogorov turbulence. Our experiments show that for both weak-to-intermediate and strong turbulence an optimum separation between the constituent beams exists such that the scintillation index of the optical signal at the detector is minimized. At the minimum, the scintillation reduction factor compared with the case of a single Gaussian beam is substantial, and it is found to grow with the number of constituent beams. For weak-to-intermediate turbulence, our experimental results are in reasonable agreement with calculations based on the Rytov approximation.     

Scintillation index of astigmatic annular beams in a turbulent atmosphere

The scintillation properties of astigmatic annular beams in a weak turbulent atmosphere are investigated. Expression for the on-axis scintillation index of an astigmatic annular beam is derived. It is found that the scintillation index of an astigmatic annular beam can be smaller than that of a Gaussian beam, an elliptical Gaussian beam and a stigmatic annular beam in a weak turbulent atmosphere under certain conditions. The scintillation properties of astigmatic annular beams are closely controlled by its beam parameters.     

Optimization of multilayer radial beam array in weak turbulent atmosphere

The on-axis scintillation index of multilayer radial beam array with incoherent combination propagating through weak turbulence is studied. The results indicate that for large beam number, the scintillation index can be reduced by adjusting beams on different concentric circles. Further studies manifest that optimum radii arrangement of the three-layer array can be adopted to get the smallest scintillation index.     

Scintillation behavior of Laguerre Gaussian beams in strong turbulence

In strong atmospheric turbulence, the asymptotic on-axis scintillation behaviors of Laguerre Gaussian (LG) beams are examined. To arrive at the strong-turbulence solution, we utilize the existing filtering approach for weak-turbulence solutions and our recently reported weak-turbulence scintillation index formula for LG beams. In the limiting case, our solution correctly predicts the asymptotic strong-turbulence behavior of Gaussian beam wave scintillation. Investigation of the scintillations versus the propagation distance, source size, wavelength and refractive index structure parameter lead to the conclusion that the LG beams with higher order radial modes can provide less scintillation. The results are applicable to long-haul atmospheric optical communication links.     

椭圆涡旋光束在海洋湍流中的传输特性

本文采用分步相位屏方法来仿真椭圆涡旋光束在海洋中的实际传输情况,并对椭圆涡旋光束在海洋湍流中的传输光强和闪烁因子进行了仿真。研究发现,椭圆涡旋光束在海洋传输过程中,光斑会发生明显的旋转,同时光斑会产生暗核且暗核个数与光束的拓扑荷数相等。一个拓扑荷数为m的相位奇点会分裂成m个拓扑荷数为1的相位奇点,并且海洋湍流越强,光斑受到的干扰越严重。研究还发现,在较弱的海洋湍流中,随着传输距离的增加,椭圆涡旋光束的闪烁因子会低于高斯光束和涡旋光束的闪烁因子,而且在远距离处拓扑荷数越大闪烁因子降低越明显,同时也发现,传播一段距离后涡旋光束的闪烁因子会低于高斯光束的闪烁因子。在较强湍流中,椭圆涡旋光束的闪烁因子会交叠在一起。对于不同强度的海洋湍流,随着均方温度耗散率的增大,椭圆涡旋光束的轴上点闪烁因子也增大。在同一传输距离处,束腰宽度越小的椭圆涡旋光束闪烁因子越小。     

Scintillation calculations for partially coherent general beams via extended Huygens–Fresnel integral and self-designed Matlab function

We present scintillation calculations in weak atmospheric turbulence for partially coherent general beams based on the extended Huygens–Fresnel integral and a Matlab function designed to handle expressions both of the average intensity and the average squared intensity. This way, the integrations are performed in a semi-analytic manner by the associated Matlab function, and this avoids lengthy, time-consuming and error prone hand derivations. The results are obtained for the partially coherent fundamental and higher-order sinusoidal and annular Gaussian beams. By plotting the scintillation index against the propagation distance and source size, we illustrate the on-axis scintillation behaviors of these beams. Accordingly, it is found that within specific source and parameter ranges, partially coherent fundamental, higher-order sinusoidal and annular Gaussian beams are capable of offering less scintillations, in comparison to the fundamental Gaussian beam.     

Scintillation behavior of cos, cosh and annular Gaussian beams in non-Kolmogorov turbulence

For a non-Kolmogorov spectrum, scintillation aspects of cos, cosh and annular Gaussian beams are investigated. The appropriate mathematical formulation is developed, the derived scintillation index is evaluated and its variation is plotted in graphs. We find that, when the values of the power coefficient of the spectrum are just above 3, low scintillation is encountered, then as the power coefficient is increased, rises will occur with a peak being reached around 3.21. From there onwards, scintillation will drop, as the power coefficient approaches a value of 5. For extreme off-axis positions, there will be slight increases in scintillation at high power coefficient values. At points near on-axis and when the beams have small width sizes, cosh Gaussian beam having a bigger displacement parameter will offer the lowest scintillation. At large width sizes, this advantage will switch to the side of the cos Gaussian beam. In this study, the variation of scintillation with other sources and propagation parameters is examined as well.     

Scintillation advantages of lowest order Bessel–Gaussian beams

For a weak turbulence propagation environment, the scintillation index of the lowest order Bessel–Gaussian beams is formulated. Its triple and single integral versions are presented. Numerical evaluations show that at large source sizes and large width parameters, when compared at the same source size, Bessel–Gaussian beams tend to exhibit lower scintillations than the Gaussian beam scintillations. This advantage is lost however for excessively large width parameters and beyond certain propagation lengths. Large width parameters also cause rises and falls in the scintillation index of off-axis positions toward the edges of the received beam. Comparisons against the fundamental Gaussian beam are made on equal source size and equal power basis. PACS  42.25.Dd; 42.25.Bs; 42.68.Bz; 42.68.-w     

Intensity fluctuations in J-Bessel–Gaussian beams of all orders propagating in turbulent atmosphere

The scintillation index of a J _n -Bessel–Gaussian beam of any order propagating in turbulent atmosphere is derived and numerically evaluated at transverse cross-sections with the aid of a specially designed triple integral routine. The graphical outputs indicate that, just like the previously investigated J ₀-Bessel–Gaussian beam, higher-order members of the family also offer favorable scintillation characteristics at large source sizes. This advantage is maintained against rising beam orders. Viewed along the propagation axis, beams with lower orders and smaller widths exhibit smaller values of the scintillation index at shorter propagation distances and large values at longer propagation distances. Further, it is shown that the scintillation index of the J _n -Bessel–Gaussian beams (n>0) is larger than that of the fundamental Gaussian and the J ₀-Bessel–Gaussian beams only near the on-axis points, while remaining smaller towards the edges of the beam.     

大气湍流对径向分布高斯列阵光束扩展和方向性的影响

采用积分变换的技巧,推导出了径向分布高斯列阵光束通过湍流大气传输的二阶矩束宽和远场发散角的解析公式,并详细研究了大气湍流对光束扩展和方向性的影响.研究表明,相干合成情况下,子光束数N越小、径向分布半径r₀越大,列阵光束扩展受湍流影响越小.相干较非相干合成时列阵光束的扩展小,但非相干合成时列阵光束扩展受湍流的影响比相干合成时的小.特别地,N足够小或r₀足够大时,相干与非相干合成列阵光束的远场束宽相等.另一方面,还给出了相干和非相干合成径向分布高斯列阵 关键词： 径向分布高斯列阵光束 大气湍流 相干和非相干合成 二阶矩束宽     

Long-distance propagation of pseudo-partially coherent Gaussian Schell-model beams in atmospheric turbulence

Propagation properties of spatially pseudo-partially coherent Gaussian Schell-model beams through the atmo- spheric turbulence over a long-distance uplink path are studied by numerical simulation. A linear coordination trans-formation is introduced to overcome the window effect and the loss-of-resolution problem. The beam spreading, beam wandering, and intensity scintillation as functions of turbulence strength, source correlation length, and change frequency of random phase that models the partial coherence of the source are analyzed. It is found that the beam spreading and the intensity scintillation of the partially coherent beam are less affected by the turbulence than those of the coherent one, but it suffers from a more severe diffractive effect, and the change frequency of random phase has no evident influence on it. The beam wandering is insensitive to the variation of source correlation length, and decreases firstly then goes to a fixed value as the change frequency increases.     

Laguerre-Gaussian beam scintillation on slant paths

Scintillation evaluations for Laguerre-Gaussian (LG) beams for slant paths are made using Rytov approximation. On- and off-axis scintillation is formulated and calculated up to several tens of kilometers of slant distances for different zenith angles. Scintillation index variations against radial receiver point and different source sizes are also investigated. In all cases evaluated, it is found that LG beams with higher radial mode numbers result in less scintillation than Gaussian beam. Kolmogorov spectrum function is utilized in the scintillation calculations.     

Scintillation index of a stochastic electromagnetic beam propagating in random media

We study the behavior of the scintillation index (the normalized variance of fluctuating intensity) of a wide-sense statistically stationary, quasi-monochromatic, electromagnetic beam propagating in a homogeneous isotropic medium. In particular, we show that in the case when the beam is treated electromagnetically apart from the correlation properties of the medium in which the beam travels not only its degree of coherence but also its degree of polarization in the source plane can affect the values of the scintillation index along the propagation path. We find that, generally, beams generated by unpolarized sources have reduced level of scintillation, compared with beams generated by fully polarized sources, provided they have the same intensity distribution and the same state of coherence in the source plane. An example illustrating the theory is considered which examines how the scintillation index of an electromagnetic Gaussian Schell-model beam propagates in the turbulent atmosphere. These results may find applications in optical communications through random media and in remote sensing.     

Experimental study on off-axis scattering of flat top partially coherent laser beams when propagating under water in the presence of moving scatterers

Off-axis underwater scattering of spatially partially coherent Multi-Gaussian Schell-Model (MGSM) beams are compared with fully coherent Gaussian beams in both a stationary setting and in the presence of mechanically agitated scatterers in underwater environments. The analysis is carried out by comparing the mean intensities of scattered light, the normalized variance, and the scintillation index in various scenarios. Results indicate that fully coherent beams have increased off-axis scattered light variations in the presence of moving scatterers as compared with a spatially partially coherent MGSM beam. Additionally, in a stationary environment the coherent beam has less overall variations as expected due to the nature of constructing partially coherent MGSM beams. Metrics of normalized variance, scintillation index, and overall average intensity are discussed in the context of potential beam localization, reduced scattering, and off-axis detection.     

Characteristics of scintillations and bit error rate of partially coherent rectangular array beams in turbulence

According to the paraxial form of the extended Huygens-Fresnel principle, the analytical formulas of the on-axis average irradiance and the on-axis scintillation index for a rectangular array Gaussian Schell-model (RAGSM) beams in atmospheric turbulence have been derived. The on-axis bit error rate has been analyzed quantitatively. Their effects of the turbulence intensity, the initial correlation length, and the array parameters including the beamlet number (M and N) and the array separation distance (x₀ and y₀) have been discussed. The results show that the correlated and uncorrelated superposition RAGSM beams exhibit the different on-axis intensity distribution, the similar variation of the on-axis scintillation and the bit error rate. At the nearer propagation distance the on-axis scintillation rises against propagation distance with the increasing beamlet number and the decreasing array separation distance, whereas the situation is reversed at the farther propagation distance. The effects of array parameters on the bit error rate are similar to that on the scintillation. For a given propagation distance the scintillation index increases with the stronger coherence and the larger waist width of the array beam.     

Effective radius of curvature of Hermite–Gaussian array beams

Analytical expressions for the effective radius of curvature, R, of Hermite–Gaussian (H–G) array beams propagating in free space for both coherent and incoherent combinations are derived. It is shown that for the two types of beam combination a minimum of the effective radius of curvature, R_min, appears as the propagation distance z increases. For the coherent combination, R is larger than that for the incoherent combination. The position z_min where the effective radius of curvature reaches its minimum is further away from the source plane for the coherent combination than that for the incoherent combination. For the two types of beam combination, R and z_min increase with increasing beam number, increasing beam separation distance, increasing waist width, and decreasing beam order and wavelength. In particular, the R of single H–G beams is always smaller than that of H–G array beams; the R of Gaussian array beams is always larger than that of H–G array beams.     

Partially coherent Lorentz Gaussian beam and its scintillations

We study the scintillation aspects of partially coherent Lorentz Gaussian (LG) beams via numerically integrating the average and average squared intensity expressions. Within the examined range of input and propagation medium parameters, the LG beams are generally found to offer less and less scintillations against the pure Gaussian beam, particularly when the Lorentzian feature of the beam is emphasized more. This lower scintillation property is exhibited for collimated coherent beams with different Lorentz widths and at on-axis and off-axis positions of the receiver plane. When focusing is introduced, at shorter propagation distances the ordering of the beams remains as described above, but at longer propagations distances a complete reversing of the beam order is observed. Raising the turbulence levels by increasing the structure constant inevitably causes rises in scintillations, while preserving the advantage of LG beams over the pure Gaussian beam. Partial coherence reduces scintillations as expected, at the same time nearly eliminating the scintillation differences between the beam types.     

湍流对离轴列阵高斯光束相干与非相干合成的影响

研究了湍流对离轴列阵高斯光束相干与非相干合成的影响.推导出了相干合成光束的传输方程.采用二阶矩束宽、桶中功率和参数β作为光束质量评价参数比较了离轴列阵高斯光束通过湍流大气的相干与非相干合成,并对主要结果给予了合理的物理解释.研究表明：一方面,不论是相干合成还是非相干合成,湍流都使得合成光束扩展、峰值光强下降,并且子光束数越多,合成光束受湍流影响就越小.另一方面,非相干合成光束较相干合成光束受到湍流的影响要小. 关键词： 相干与非相干合成 湍流大气 离轴列阵高斯光束     

Rytov variance equivalence through extended atmospheric turbulence and an arbitrary thickness phase screen in non-Kolmogorov turbulence

An arbitrary thickness phase screen model can describe scintillation index for Gaussian beam propagating through a phase screen more accurate than thin phase screen model. To describing actual scintillation index for Gaussian beam propagating through an extended medium using a phase screen in weak non-Kolmogorov turbulence, the scintillation index and Rytov variance for arbitrary thickness phase screen model are derived. Specially, the ratio of the Rytov variances for a phase screen and extended random media is found under the assumption of equivalence in scintillation index of the two cases. The theoretical results show that the normalized Rytov variance varies with the power law of the turbulence spectrum, the relative thickness of the phase screen, the position of the phase screen, the transmitter beam parameters and the radial position at output plane. The influences of these variables are also simulated. These results will be applied to simulation of adaptive optics and laser communication.     

Multibeam scintillation cumulative distribution function

The gamma-gamma probability density function is commonly used to model the scintillation of a single laser beam propagating through atmospheric turbulence. One method proposed to reduce scintillation at the receiver plane involves the use of multiple channels propagating through independent paths, resulting in a sum of independent gamma-gamma random variables. Recently, a novel approach for an accurate, closed-form approximation for the sum of independent, identically distributed gamma-gamma random variables was introduced by Chatzidiamantis et al. [GLOBECOM 2009--2009 IEEE Global Telecommunications Conference (2009)]. Using this approximation, we present the first analytic model for the distribution of irradiance due to propagating multiple independent beams. This model compares favorably to wave-optics simulations.