Capacity for non-Kolmogorov turbulent optical links with beam wander and pointing errors

The performance of optical wireless communication links depends strongly on the atmospheric conditions and the parameters of the link such as the propagation distance, the operation wavelength, jitter variance, attenuation coefficient and effective beam spot radius at the receiver. The analytical expression for the evaluation of the average capacity of optical wireless communication systems is derived, using the gamma-gamma distribution in the non-Kolmogorov atmosphere turbulence. The impact of atmospheric attenuation, beam wander and pointing errors on the average of the optical wireless communication link is investigated. It is shown that the capacity has a fluctuation curve, when power law α increases, and the power law α of minimum point in fluctuation curve is bigger as the non-Kolmogorov turbulence strength is stronger.     

Experimental determination and comparison of rain attenuation in free space optic link operating at 532 nm and 655 nm wavelength

The demand for high data rate, security and reliable communication is driving the development of free space optic communication (FSO) technology. The atmospheric effects such as scintillation, absorption and scattering severely affect the availability and range of the FSO system. The atmospheric rain absorbs and scatters the laser beam energy resulting in attenuation of the propagating signal. Initial development of FSO technology primarily used wavelength from infrared spectrum. In the recent years, the interest in visible light carrier for FSO applications is consistently increasing. In this paper, the effect of rain over two optical wavelengths from the visible spectrum i.e. 532 nm and 655 nm has been experimentally evaluated and results for the specific rain attenuation at 532 nm and 655 nm wavelengths have been compared.     

Free-space laser communications with adaptive optics: Atmospheric compensation experiments

Refractive index inhomogeneities of the turbulent air cause wave-front distortions of optical waves propagating through the atmosphere, leading to such effects as beam spreading, beam wander, and intensity fluctuations (scintillations). These distortions are responsible for severe signal fading in free-space optical communications systems and therefore compromise link reliability. Wave-front distortions can be mitigated, in principle, with adaptive optics, i.e., real-time wave-front control, reducing the likeliness of signal fading. However, adaptive optics technology, currently primarily used in astronomical imaging, needs to be adapted to the requirements of free-space optical communication systems and their specific challenges.In this chapter we discuss a non-conventional adaptive optics approach that has certain advantages with respect to its incorporation into free-space optical communication terminals. The technique does not require wave-front measurements, which are difficult under the strong scintillation conditions typical for communication scenarios, but is based on the direct optimization of a performance quality metric, e.g., the communication signal strength, with a stochastic parallel gradient descent (SPGD) algorithm.We describe an experimental adaptive optics system that consists of a beam-steering and a higher-resolution wave-front correction unit with a 132-actuator MEMS piston-type deformable mirror controlled by a VLSI system implementing the SPGD algorithm. The system optimizes the optical signal that could be coupled into a single-mode fiber after propagating along a 2.3-km near-horizontal atmospheric path. We investigate characteristics of the performance metric under different atmospheric conditions and evaluate the effect of the adaptive system. Experiments performed under strong scintillation conditions with beam-steering only as well as with higher-resolution wave-front control demonstrate the mitigation of wave-front distortions and the reduction of signal fading.     

Reflection assisted beam propagation model for obstructed line-of-sight FSO links

A non-line-of-sight (NLOS) infra-red reflection based beam propagation model is proposed as a supplement to conventional terrestrial free space optical (FSO) communication system. This ray propagation model lets tactically positioned optical reflectors to smartly exploit the aggregated advantages of mirror characteristics to bridge the existent communication gap between two FSO nodes due to inclined or obstructed line-of-sight view. Additionally, a numerical framework of the proposed system is presented that analytically explores the optical losses induced by harmonic distortions and the resultant beam divergence at the receiver. The impact of the different reflectors on the traversing beam is then investigated through an experimental FSO test-bed set in an outdoor environment in terms of phase shifts, divergence loss, noise margin and maximum achievable link length. Matlab based simulations, based on the experimental outcomes, envisages that concave reflectors can effectively compensate the turbulence induced signal fading and restrict the beam divergence loss; thereby, improving the maximum achievable NLOS FSO link length.     

Optimization of free space optics parameters: An optimum solution for bad weather conditions

Free Space Optics Systems (FSO) is one of the most effective solutions, especially for atmospheric turbulence due to the weather and environment structure. Free space optics system suffers from various limitations. A well-known disadvantage of FSO is its sensitivity on local weather conditions-primarily to haze and rain, resulting in substantial loss of optical signal power over the communication path. The main objective of this article is to evaluate the quality of data transmission using Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM) with highlighting several factors that will affect the quality of data transmission. The results of these analyses are to develop a system of quality-free space optics for a high data rate transmission. From the result analysis, FSO wavelength with 1550 nm produces less effect in atmospheric attenuation. Short link range between the transmitter and receiver can optimize the FSO system transmission parameters or components. Based on the analysis, it is recommended to develop an FSO system of 2.5 Gbps with 1550 nm wavelength and link range up to 150 km at the clear weather condition of bit-error-rate (BER) 10⁻⁹.     

Optical networks, last mile access and applications

Free Space Optical (FSO) links can be used to setup FSO communication networks or to supplement radio and optical fiber networks. Hence, it is the broadband wireless solution for closing the “last mile” connectivity gap throughout metropolitan networks. Optical wireless fits well into dense urban areas and is ideally suited for urban applications. This paper gives an overview of free-space laser communications. Different network architectures will be described and investigated regarding reliability. The usage of “Optical Repeaters”, Point-to-Point and Point-to-Multipoint solutions will be explained for setting up different network architectures. After having explained the different networking topologies and technologies, FSO applications will be discussed in section 2, including terrestrial applications for short and long ranges, and space applications. Terrestrial applications for short ranges cover the links between buildings on campus or different buildings of a company, which can be established with low-cost technology. For using FSO for long-range applications, more sophisticated systems have to be used. Hence, different techniques regarding emitted optical power, beam divergence, number of beams and tracking will be examined. Space applications have to be divided into FSO links through the troposphere, for example up- and downlinks between the Earth and satellites, and FSO links above the troposphere (e.g., optical inter-satellite links). The difference is that links through the troposphere are mainly influenced by weather conditions similar but not equal to terrestrial FSO links. Satellite orbits are above the atmosphere and therefore, optical inter-satellite links are not influenced by weather conditions. In section 3 the use of optical wireless for the last mile will be investigated and described in more detail. Therefore important design criteria for connecting the user to the “backbone” by FSO techniques will be covered, e.g., line of sight, network topology, reliability and availability. The advantages and disadvantages of different FSO technologies, as well as the backbone technology are discussed in this respect. Furthermore, the last mile access using FSO will be investigated for different environment areas (e.g., urban, rural, mountain) and climate zones. The availability of the FSO link is mainly determined by the local atmospheric conditions and distance and will be examined for the last mile. Results of various studies will complete these investigations. Finally, an example for realizing a FSO network for the last mile will be shown. In this example FSO transmitters with light emitting diodes (LED) instead of laser diodes will be described. By using LEDs, problems with laser- and eye safety are minimized. Some multimedia applications (like video-conferences, live TV-transmissions, etc.) will illustrate the range of applications for FSO last mile networks.     

Reliability analysis of an auto-tracked FSO link under adverse weather condition

In this paper, the effects of auto-tracking subsystems on the Bit-Error-Rate (BER) and reliability of free-space optical (FSO) communication links are investigated. Considering environmental influences on the laser beam intensity distribution in receiver, we study the propagation properties of Gaussian laser beams through a complete optical path. Then it is tried to derive an analytical formula for intensity distribution along the complete optical path as well as on the receiver's detector plane based on the Collins integral. Based upon the intensity formula, we calculate the values of signal to noise ratio (SNR), BER, and power while considering the effects of atmospheric losses due to absorption, scattering and turbulence on them. Using mentioned values, the role of auto-tracking subsystems on link reliability improvement in adverse weather condition is described. The related results are illustrated by graphs obtained by calculations and simulations.     

Average capacity optimization in free-space optical communication system over atmospheric turbulence channels with pointing errors

A model is proposed to study the average capacity optimization in free-space optical (FSO) channels, accounting for effects of atmospheric turbulence and pointing errors. For a given transmitter laser power, it is shown that both transmitter beam divergence angle and beam waist can be tuned to maximize the average capacity. Meanwhile, their optimum values strongly depend on the jitter and operation wavelength. These results can be helpful for designing FSO communication systems.     

Fundamental performance limit of covert free-space optical communications

With the development of wireless communication, free-space optical (FSO) communication is becoming a highly promising technology. In this paper, we consider the covert FSO communication between two legitimate peers in the presence of an external warden. We establish a system model under a nonnegativity constraint, a peak optical intensity constraint, an average optical intensity constraint and a covertness constraint. For the considered system, the optimal input signal is shown to follow a uniform distribution. Based on the optimal input signal and covertness constraint, we obtain an upper bound that should be satisfied by the transmitter’s peak optical intensity, which provides a basis for the transmitter to set the transmit optical intensity. We also derive the upper bound of maximum amount of information transmitted covertly, which reveals the fundamental performance limit of covert FSO communication. Finally, we verify the theoretical analysis by numerical simulations.     

Capacity of wander and spread beams in log-normal distribution non-Kolmogorov turbulence optical links

We model the average channel capacity of optical wireless communication systems in weak turbulence horizontal channels, using the log-normal distribution models. The effects of beam wander and spread, pointing errors, turbulence inner scale, turbulence outer scale and the spectral index of non-Kolmogorov turbulence on system's performance are included. The model can evaluate the influence of the atmospheric turbulence conditions in the performance of a ground-to-train optical wireless communication system.     

Analysis of free space optical link in turbulent atmosphere

Free space optical (FSO) communication is an upgraded supplement to the existing wireless technologies. FSO technology provides vast modulation bandwidth, unlicensed spectrum, cost effective deployment, low power consumption and less mass requirement. Today, researchers are preliminary focused to use the free space communication systems for inter satellites links. In this paper, the performance analysis of FSO communication link in weak atmospheric turbulence has been analyzed for different atmospheric transmission windows using OOK modulation. The analysis has been done using bit error rate as the performance metric. The effect of attenuation on the link performance has been investigated by varying distance between transmitter and receiver for a given power and data rate. Further, BER performance analysis has been carried out for varying data rate and transmitted power. Also, the effect of attenuation on received optical power has been studied. The work has been performed in OptSim environment.     

Performance Analysis and Relay Location Research of OFDM Free-Space Optical Communication Systems Under Moderate and Strong Turbulence

In this paper, based on the Gamma–Gamma channel model for describing moderate and strong atmospheric turbulence, we study the relay location of serial decode-and-forward relay systems and parallel decode-and-forward relay systems in free-space optical (FSO) communication. According to the orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing modulation (OFDM) and coherent detection demodulation technology, we develop a novel statistical fading channel model for relay FSO systems by incorporating the atmospheric turbulence, pointing errors, and path loss effects. Based on this channel model, we derive the closed-form expression of the outage probability in the FSO serial relay system and parallel relay system, using the Meijer G-function. The serial decode-and-forward relay system with different relay locations and parallel decode-and-forward relay system, which consider different number of links and different relay locations, are simulation analyzed under moderate and strong atmospheric turbulence. The performance of serial relay systems and parallel relay systems in free-space optical communication can be improved by optimizing the relay location.     

Reduction of atmospheric turbulence using optical duplicate system in free-space optical communications

Optical Review - To reduce the effect of atmospheric turbulence and stabilize the optical link in free-space optical (FSO) communications, we have proposed to use an optical duplicate system (ODS)...     

Atmospheric turbulence and numerical evaluation of bit error rate (BER) in free-space communication

Bit error rate (BER) is an important parameter in free-space optical (FSO) communication. This paper presents the numerical evaluation of BER by studying the propagation of an initial Gaussian laser beam through turbulent atmosphere. Beam scintillation, spreading and wandering were considered as the atmospheric turbulent effects on the laser beam degradation. Different turbulent conditions and laser beam characteristics were applied to the calculations. The results show that the BER can be influenced considerably by atmospheric turbulence. According to these results the laser beam size and wavelength have also significant effects in the BER values.     

On the use of wavelength and time diversity in optical wireless communication systems over gamma–gamma turbulence channels

Optical wireless communication or free space optical systems have gained significant research and commercial attention in recent years due to their cost-effective and license-free high bandwidth access characteristics. However, by using the atmosphere as transmission media, the performance of such a system depends on the atmospheric conditions that exist between transmitter and receiver. Indeed, for an outdoor optical channel link, the existence of atmospheric turbulence may significantly degrade the performance of the associated communication system over distances longer than 1 or even 0.5 km. In order to anticipate this, particular attention has been given to diversity methods. In this work, we consider the use of wavelength and time diversity in wireless optical communication systems that operate under weak to strong atmospheric turbulence conditions modeled by the gamma–gamma distribution, and we derive closed form mathematical expressions for estimating the system's achievable outage probability and average bit error rate. Finally, numerical results referred to common practical cases are also obtained in order to show that wavelength and time diversity schemes enhances considerably these systems’ availability and performance.     

Outage probability analysis of FSO system with Airy beam as carrier

Optical Review - Based on the scintillation index of Airy beam and exponentiated Weibull channel model, analytical expressions of outage probability for free-space optical (FSO) communication links...     

Optical communications in the mid-wave IR spectral band

The mid-wave IR (MWIR) spectral band extending from 3 to 5 microns is considered to be a low loss atmospheric window. The MWIR wavelengths are eye safe and are attractive for several free-space applications including remote sensing of chemical and biological species, hard target imaging, range finding, target illumination, and free-space communications. Due to the nature of light-matter interaction characteristics, MWIR wavelength based systems can provide unique advantages over other spectral bands for these applications. The MWIR wavelengths are found to effectively penetrate natural and anthropogenic obscurants. Consequently, MWIR systems offer increased range performance at reduced power levels. Free-space, line-of-sight optical communication links for terrestrial as well as space based platforms using MWIR wavelengths can be designed to operate under low visibility conditions. Combined with high-bandwidth, eye-safe, covert and jam proof features, a MWIR wavelength based optical communication link could play a vital role in hostile environments. A free-space optical communication link basically consists of a transmitter, a receiver and a scheme for directing the beam towards a target. Coherent radiation in the MWIR spectral band can be generated using various types of lasers and nonlinear optical devices. Traditional modulation techniques are applicable to these optical sources. Novel detector and other subcomponent technologies with enhanced characteristics for a MWIR based system are advancing. Depending on the transmitter beam characteristics, atmospheric conditions may adversely influence the beam propagation and thereby increasing the bit error rate. For satisfactory transmission over a given range, the influence of atmosphere on beam propagation has to be analyzed. In this chapter, salient features of atmospheric modeling required for wavelength selection and performance prediction is presented. Potential optical sources and detectors for building a practical MWIR communication link are surveyed. As an illustration, the design configuration and experimental results of a recently demonstrated free-space, obscurant penetrating optical data communication link suitable for battlefield applications is discussed. In this case, the MWIR wavelength was derived using an all solid-state, compact, optical parametric oscillator device. With this device, weapon codes pertaining to small and large weapon platforms were transmitted over a range of 5 km. Furthermore, image transmission through light fog, accomplished using this hardware, is also presented. Advances in source and detector technologies are contributing to the development of cost effective systems compatible with various platforms requirements. In coming years, MWIR wavelengths are anticipated to play a vital role in various human endeavors.     

Analysis of average capacity for free-space optical links with pointing errors over gamma-gamma turbulence channels

<正>A novel closed-form expression for average capacity is derived for free-space optical(FSO) links over Gamma-Gamma turbulence channels by considering the effect of misalignment(pointing errors).The simulation results show that the average capacity of the FSO links can be analyzed with the effects of atmospheric turbulence condition,beam width,detector size,jitter variable,and transmitted optical power. Meanwhile,the results are further provided to verify the accuracy of our mathematical analysis.This work is useful for the FSO designer.     

BER and outage probability performance of log-normal distribution non-Kolmogorov turbulent optical links

We model the average bit-error rate (BER) and outage probability for an intensity-modulation/direct detection of tracked or untracked optical wireless communication (OWC) systems with on-off keying in weak turbulence horizontal channels, using the log-normal distribution models. The effects of atmospheric attenuation, beam wander and spread, misalignment and the spectral index of non-Kolmogorov turbulence on system's performance are included. The model can be evaluated the information loss and BER of ground-to-train OWC links.     

Analysis of inter-satellite free-space optical link performance considering different system parameters

The welcome and adaptation of optical wireless technology by the modern era has brought forward the concept of an inter-satellite free-space optical communication system. In the present work, I study the combined effect of selection of different operating wavelengths and detector types along with the pointing errors at the transmitter and receiver side on the performance of an inter-satellite free-space optical link. The link performance has been optimized by measuring and analyzing the bit error rate and quality-factor of received signal under different scenarios. Performance of the inter-satellite link has also been investigated considering different modulation formats and data rates for LEO and MEO distances.