Polarization property changes of optical beam transmission in atmospheric turbulent channels.

Abstract

We theoretically analyze and experimentally verify the performance of multiple polarization parameters in the presence of atmospheric turbulence for a terrestrial optical transmission. First, both the first- and second-moment characteristic of polarization parameters are derived based on the extended Huygens-Fresnel principle. Then, numerical simulations are presented for different propagating distances, optical source properties, and turbulent strengths. Finally, a series of well-designed experiments are carried out to verify the theory with turbulence-controlled conditions, where the polarization states are measured at two wavelengths, respectively. As a result, the theoretical predictions conform closely to the experimental data, and both show that with the increasing turbulent strength, the first-order moment of polarization parameters varies in different trends, while their second-order moment increases. The proposed approach is promising for building a comprehensive statistical model of polarization and improving the performance of a free-space optical communication link.