Presence Of Atmospheric Turbulence Research Articles

An All-Digital Optical Phase-Locked Loop Suitable for Satellite Downlinks

The optical signal propagation used in satellite uplinks and downlinks is influenced by absorption, scattering, and changes in the atmospheric refractive index or turbulence, causing optical signal attenuation. A free space optics (FSO) communications system using coherent communication can improve the link sensitivity and reach higher distances. This article proposes a new architecture for the phase detector in an all-digital optical phase-locked loop (OPLL) for coherent optical detection. Firstly, the performance of the proposed phase detector is evaluated under Gaussian noise, where the best operation point is found for the OPLL working with two sample rates: 625 MSa/s and 10 GSa/s. The system analyses also take a non-negligible delay into account. Then, it will be evaluated and compared with an OPLL using an analog phase detector in the presence of atmospheric turbulence. Finally, in three different atmospheric turbulence conditions, the effect of wind speed on communication quality is investigated through the obtained bit error rate (BER) from the recovered data for a bit rate of 20 Gbps. The results show that the proposed digital phase detector can track a signal under longer feedback loop delays and fading signals.

Research on piston error sensing for segmented mirrors under atmospheric turbulence.

Large aperture ground-based segmented telescopes typically use electrical edge sensors to detect co-phase errors. However, complex observing environments can lead to zero-point drift of the edge sensors, making it challenging to maintain the long-term co-phase of the segmented primary mirror using only edge sensors. Therefore, employing optical piston error detection methods for short-term calibration of edge sensors can address the issue of zero-point drift in the sensors. However, atmospheric turbulence can affect calibration accuracy based on the observational target. To achieve high-precision calibration of electrical edge sensors, this study investigates the impact of atmospheric turbulence on optical piston error detection. Based on simulated results, it is found that the actual measured piston error in the presence of atmospheric turbulence is the difference between the average phases of the two segments. Subsequently, optical piston error detection experiments were conducted in a segmented mirror system under simulated turbulent conditions with varying turbulence intensities. Experimental studies have shown that the detection accuracy of the optical method is almost the same as without turbulence when using a detection aperture size that is 0.82 times the atmospheric coherence length and an exposure time of at least 40 ms. The root mean square of the cross-calibration is better than 3nm. These experimental results indicate that under conditions of good atmospheric seeing, the optical piston error detection method can meet the short-term calibration requirements of edge sensors by setting reasonable detection area size and exposure time. It may even be possible to directly use optical detection methods to replace edge sensors for real-time detection of piston errors.

Non-modulated pyramid wavefront sensor

Context. The diffusion of adaptive optics systems in astronomical instrumentation for large ground-based telescopes is rapidly increasing and the pyramid wavefront sensor is replacing the Shack–Hartmann as the standard solution for single conjugate adaptive optics systems. The pyramid wavefront sensor is typically used with a tip-tilt modulation to increase the linearity range of the sensor, but the non-modulated case is interesting because it maximizes the sensor sensitivity. The latter case is generally avoided for the reduced linearity range that prevents robust operation in the presence of atmospheric turbulence. Aims. We aim to solve part of the issues of the non-modulated pyramid wavefront sensor by reducing the model error in the interaction matrix. We linearize the sensor response in the working conditions without extending the sensor linearity range. Methods. We developed a new calibration approach to model the response of pyramid wave front sensor in partial correction, whereby the working conditions in the presence of residual turbulence are considered. Results. We use in simulations to show how the new calibration approach allows for the pyramid wave front sensor without modulation to be used to sense and correct atmospheric turbulence and we discuss when this case is preferable over the modulated case.

Performance Analysis of Classical Data Transmission Over a Quantum Channel in the Presence of Atmospheric Turbulence

This paper presents the performance analysis of classical data transmission over a quantum channel in the presence of atmospheric turbulence. To transmit classical data, quantum coherent states are modulated over a log-normal turbulent channel for satellite-to-ground applications. The expression for the number of photons in the turbulent coherent state is approximated. Performance analysis is done in terms of error probability, channel capacity, and quantum bit error rate (QBER). The simulation results are presented using the Monte-Carlo simulation method. Numerical results show that the error performance improves with increasing the number of signal photons. However, for turbulence strength greater than 0.8, QBER increases more rapidly with a higher number of signal photons. Hence, a trade-off is essential between an achievable QBER and the number of signal photons.

Performance of cascaded gain saturated and fixed gain optical amplifier FSO communication systems limited by scintillation and pointing error

A major limitation to achieving acceptable system performance in free space optical (FSO) communication systems is the presence of atmospheric turbulence (AT), which results in received signal power fluctuations. In addition to the signal power fluctuations at the receiving end, pointing errors (PEs) can also significantly impair system performance. While achieving reliable communication over long distances is desirable, it is challenging because the AT effects and PEs are more pronounced at longer communication distances. Using Monte Carlo simulation methods, the impact of amplified spontaneous emission noise, AT, PE and geometric spread on cascaded gain saturated and fixed gain optical amplifier (OA) FSO communication systems is investigated in this paper. Results are obtained for different AT regimes, normalised PE standard deviations and normalised beam widths employing non-adaptive and adaptive decision thresholding schemes at the receiver. Results obtained show that increasing the size of the receiver aperture does not have any impact on the average bit error rate (BER) when the PEs are minimal. Also, the BER performances obtained with systems using a smaller receiver aperture are better than those obtained with systems using a larger receiver aperture when PEs are significant. Results obtained also show that even though unacceptable BER performances were obtained under moderate and strong atmospheric regimes when the decision threshold of the receiver is non-adaptive, the advantage of using gain saturated OAs is still evident as gain saturated OAs performed better than fixed gain OAs when the decision threshold of the receiver is non-adaptive.

Robust fault detection and diagnosis of primary air data sensors in the presence of atmospheric turbulence

Abstract This paper presents a fault detection and diagnosis (FDD) algorithm for various faults in the primary air data sensors (PADS) of an aircraft in the presence of external disturbances such as atmospheric turbulence. Rapid wind variations due to turbulence induce excessive error in the externally fitted air data probe measurements, which may lead to loss of control and misinterpretations by the flight crew. In adverse environmental conditions, the FDD of air data prefers robust and adaptive air data estimates that use an analytical redundancy approach with fewer computations. The proposed method considers the kinematics of the aircraft instead of the dynamics used in the state-of-the-art algorithms. The advantage of using kinematics is that it can reduce modeling errors significantly, avoiding high false alarm rates in the FDD process. For the estimation of stable and accurate air data under external disturbance, the inertial navigation system and global positioning system (INS/GPS) output are considered instead of actual air data probe or sensor measurements. The proposed algorithm uses estimates of air data using an exponentially weighted adaptive extended Kalman filter (EW-AEKF) to detect and diagnose PADS faults, which can perform well even in the presence of uncertain noise due to atmospheric turbulence experienced during flight. The simulation was carried out to validate the algorithm with flight data obtained from the X-Plane flight simulator under moderate atmospheric turbulence. The simulation experiments were carried out using the MATLAB programming platform. The results show that the proposed method achieves satisfactory FDD performance with lower root mean square error (RMSE) and computation time than traditional EKF-based algorithms.

Investigation of free space optical communications with binary ghost imaging

This paper proposes a free space optical (FSO) communications system based on ghost imaging, and the signal transmission through a 1 km horizontal turbulent channel is numerically investigated. The information is modulated and encoded into a sequence of binary numbers by ghost imaging with object light quantization, and these binary signals are transmitted to a receiver with vortex beams. The communications performance depends on the repeating times of the ghost imaging, and the bit error rate is zero as the repeating times increase to 3000. The security of the communications system is analyzed, and it is found that the information cannot be correctly decoded without a transformation matrix and secret key. It is confirmed that larger repeating times in the ghost imaging can contribute to the security enhancement and better communications performance. Our results provide a secure scheme for a FSO communications system in the presence of atmospheric turbulence, which has potential for applications in future communications.

Orbital angular momentum spectra of twisted Laguerre-Gaussian Schell-model beams propagating in weak-to-strong Kolmogorov atmospheric turbulence.

The presence of atmospheric turbulence in a beam propagation path results in the spread of orbital angular momentum (OAM) modes of laser beams, limiting the performance of free-space optical communications with the utility of vortex beams. The knowledge of the effects of turbulence on the OAM spectrum (also named as spiral spectrum) is thus of utmost importance. However, most of the existing studies considering this effect are limited to the weak turbulence that is modeled as a random complex "screen" in the receiver plane. In this paper, the behavior of the OAM spectra of twisted Laguerre-Gaussian Schell-model (TLGSM) beams propagation through anisotropic Kolmogorov atmospheric turbulence is examined based on the extended Huygens-Fresnel integral which is considered to be applicable in weak-to-strong turbulence. The discrepancies of the OAM spectra between weak and strong turbulence are studied comparatively. The influences of the twist phase and the anisotropy of turbulence on the OAM spectra during propagation are investigated through numerical examples. Our results reveal that the twist phase plays a crucial role in determining the OAM spectra in turbulence, resisting the degeneration of the detection mode weight by appropriately choosing the twist factor, while the effects of the anisotropic factors of turbulence on the OAM spectra seem to be not obvious. Our findings can be applied to the analysis of OAM spectra of laser beams both in weak and strong turbulence.

The Self-Learning AI Controller for Adaptive Power Beaming With Fiber-Array Laser Transmitter System

In this study we consider adaptive power beaming with a fiber-array laser transmitter system in presence of atmospheric turbulence. For optimization of power transition through the atmosphere a fiber-array is traditionally controlled by stochastic parallel gradient descent (SPGD) algorithm where control feedback is provided via a radio frequency link by an optical-to-electrical power conversion sensor, attached to a cooperative target. The SPGD algorithm continuously and randomly perturbs voltages applied to fiber-array phase shifters and fiber tip positioners in order to maximize sensor signal, i.e. uses, the so-called, “blind” optimization principle. By contrast to this approach a prospective artificially intelligent (AI) control systems for synthesis of optimal control can utilize various pupil- or target-plane data available for the analysis including wavefront sensor data, photo-voltaic array (PVA) data, other optical or atmospheric parameters, and potentially can eliminate well-known drawbacks of SPGDbased controllers. In this study an optimal control is synthesized by a deep neural network (DNN) using target-plane PVA sensor data as its input. A DNN training is occurred online in sync with control system operation and is performed by applying of small perturbations to DNN’s outputs. This approach does not require initial DNN’s pre-training as well as guarantees optimization of system performance in time. All theoretical results are verified by numerical experiments.

Novel adaptive hard-switching based hybrid RF-FSO system architecture using two threshold values in the presence of atmospheric turbulence and pointing error

In recent years and in the ongoing development of all-optical systems, we propose two novel hard-switching based hybrid RF-FSO system architecture in the presence of atmospheric turbulence and pointing error. In the first proposed scheme, the hybrid Relay based RF-FSO link (path 1) is paralleled with a RF link (path 2). In the second scheme, the FSO (path 1) and relay based RF-FSO (path 2) links are paralleled.In these two novel schemes, we tried to increase the lifetime of the main path using the double threshold SNR technique. In these scenarios, the hard switch selects one path as a data transmitter using two threshold values. The RF and FSO links are modeled by Rayleigh and Gamma-Gamma distributions, respectively. We derive closed-form expressions for the Outage Probability (OP). Also, the Intensity Modulation with Direct Detection (IM/DD) and the heterodyne detection techniques are used. The performance of proposed systems are presented in the different atmospheric and pointing error conditions. Numerical results show that the proposed schemes have succeeded in achieving the set goal.

Sensing and coupling of optical channels in dynamic atmospheric turbulence using OAM beamlets for improved power and data transmission.

Propagation of laser light is distorted in the presence of atmospheric turbulence. This poses an issue for sensing, free-space optical communications, and transmission of power. The presented system offers a novel solution to mitigate the effects of turbulence. By rapidly probing a turbulent volume by varying a beam's spatial and phase characteristics, the best transmission mode can be determined and updated in real time. Unlike a traditional tip-tilt system, this scheme is fully electronic, and has a scalable architecture to leverage multiple optical transmission paths simultaneously. This optical control system greatly improves power efficiency and successful recovery of data through environments with strong turbulence.

Effect of atmospheric turbulent on mobile ultraviolet wireless communications

This paper proposes a method to study the transmission characteristics of ultraviolet turbulent channels, by considering the variation of atmospheric refractive index structure parameters along transmission paths. This method is adopted in a Monte Carlo simulation to analyze the transmission characteristics of ultraviolet light when the communication nodes are mobile. The analysis focuses on the influence of the moving speed and direction of the receiver on path loss under long-distance and atmospheric turbulence conditions. The simulation results show that, when the altitude increases, atmospheric refractive index structure parameters show a decreasing trend, and the path loss of the system decreases. With or without turbulence, when the receiver moves away from the transmitter in a horizontal plane, the received signal strength always decreases as the moving speed increases; and vice versa. When the receiver moves along the vertical axis, the signal strength increases as the moving speed increases. With the presence of atmospheric turbulence, the received signal strength attenuates significantly, compared with the case with no turbulence. When the receiver moves along the vertical axis, the path loss is higher compared with the situation when the receiver moves on the horizontal plane.

Capturing the amplitude and phase profile of the vortex beam based on coherent detection

In this study, we propose a scheme to capture the amplitude and phase profile of the orbital angular momentum (OAM) beam based on coherent detection. In the scheme, the OAM beam to be measured is interfered with a local plain wave which is prepared at the receiver, and two charge-coupled devices (CCDs) are used to record the constructive and destructive interference patterns. By setting the phase of the plain wave to π/2 and π, one can extract the amplitude and phase profile of the OAM beam from the two interference patterns. We verify the feasibility of the scheme by simulation and experiments. The results show that both amplitude and phase profiles of single OAM and OAM superposition modes can be captured by using the proposed scheme, and the proposed scheme shows strong robustness even under the presence of atmospheric turbulence.

Performance Analysis of a Vertical FSO Link with Energy Harvesting Strategy.

In this paper we investigate the application of free space optical (FSO) communications, energy harvesting, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) as key technology enablers of a cost-efficient backhaul/fronthaul framework for 5G and beyond (5G+) networks. This novel approach is motivated by several facts. First, the UAVs, acting as relay nodes, represent an easy-to-deploy and adaptive network that can provide line-of-sight between the base stations and the gateways connected to the core network. Second, FSO communications offer high data rates between the UAVs and the network nodes, while avoiding any potential interference with the 5G radio access networks. Third, energy harvesting in the optical domain has the potential to extend the UAVs’ battery life. Nevertheless, the presence of atmospheric turbulence, atmospheric attenuation, and pointing errors in the FSO links severely degrades their performance. For this reason an accurate yet tractable modelling framework is required to fully understand whether an UAV-FSO backhaul/fronthaul network with energy harvesting can be applied. To this end, we consider a composite channel attenuation model that includes the effect of turbulence fading, pointing errors, and atmospheric attenuation. Using this model, we derive analytical closed-form expressions of the average harvested energy as a function of the FSO link parameters. These expressions can be used to improve energy harvesting efficiency in FSO link design. We have applied our proposed expressions to evaluate the energy harvested in vertical FSO links for a variety of real scenarios under a modified on-off keying (OOK) scheme optimized for energy harvesting. From the simulations carried out in this paper, we demonstrate that significant values of harvested energy can be obtained. Such performance enhancement can complement the existing deployment charging stations.

Free Space Ground to Satellite Optical Communications Using Kramers-Kronig Transceiver in the Presence of Atmospheric Turbulence.

Coherent detection provides the optimum performance for free space optical (FSO) communication systems. However, such detection systems are expensive and require digital phase noise compensation. In this paper, the transmission performance of long-haul FSO system for ground-to-satellite communication based on a Kramers–Kronig (KK) transceiver is evaluated. KK transceivers utilize inexpensive direct detection receivers and the signal phase is retrieved from the received current using the well-known KK relations. KK transceivers are not sensitive to the laser phase noise and, hence, inexpensive lasers with large linewidths can be used at the transmitter. The transmission performance of coherent and KK transceivers is compared in various scenarios such as satellite-to-ground, satellite-to-satellite, and ground-to-satellite for weak, moderate, and strong turbulence. The results show that the transmission performance of a system based on the KK transceiver is comparable to that based on a coherent transceiver, but at a significantly lower system cost and complexity. It is shown that in the absence of turbulence, the coherent receiver has a ~3 dB performance advantage over the KK receiver. However, in the presence of strong turbulence, this performance advantage becomes negligible.

Local resolution characteristics of atmospheric turbulence.

D. L. Fried's concept of a "Lucky Image" for turbulent image streams can be seen as creating different degrees of localized resolution in images. These localized regions of resolution can be derived from Fried's equation for the probability of obtaining a Lucky Image. The existence of local resolution variations when imaging through turbulence also implies local variations in the point-spread-functions (PSFs) caused by turbulence. We characterize these local variations by using simple measures on PSFs collected in the presence of atmospheric turbulence. We also compile these variations into an empirical probability density function (PDF) that describes the different resolutions in local regions of turbulent imagery and can be used to characterize specific conditions of turbulence, e.g., the coherence diameter.

Free-space to single-mode fiber coupling efficiency with optical system aberration and fiber positioning error under atmospheric turbulence

Benefiting from the rapid development of fiber-optic devices, high-speed free-space optical (FSO) communication systems have recently used fiber-optic components. The received laser beam in such a system couples into single-mode fiber (SMF) at the input of the receiver module. This work is oriented to common problems in actual FSO coupling systems, such as atmospheric turbulence, optical system aberration (OSA), and fiber positioning error. We derive the statistical expectation models of SMF coupling efficiency with OSA in the presence of atmospheric turbulence and the statistical expectation models of SMF coupling efficiency with fiber positioning error in the presence of atmospheric turbulence. The influences of OSA and fiber positioning error on the coupling efficiency under different turbulence strengths are also analyzed in this paper.

Twin-field quantum key distribution over free-space optical channels in the presence of atmospheric turbulence

Future quantum communication networks envisaged on a global scale will include various networks interlinked via optical fiber and free space channels. In recent years, quantum key distribution (QKD) protocol based on optical fiber has been extensively studied. Twin-field QKD (TF-QKD) may enable 550 km QKD using standard optical fiber without quantum repeaters. However, the performance of TF-QKD in free-space channel is still unclear. In this paper, a free-space channel model is proposed with specific turbulence characterization discussed. Here, the key rate of TF-QKD under multiple scenarios considering the variation of turbulence and different link configuration is investigated. Simulation results demonstrate that the performance of free-space TF-QKD is related to link configuration and turbulence motion which is determined by surface feature, time and height. Furthermore, TF-QKD protocol is a potential scheme for the free-space quantum communication.

Optimization of throughput for free space optical communication system in presence of atmospheric turbulence and pointing error

Optimization of throughput for free space optical communication system in presence of atmospheric turbulence and pointing error

Centroid Error Analysis of Beacon Tracking under Atmospheric Turbulence for Optical Communication Links

Optical satellite communication has received considerable attention as a promising alternative to radio frequency communication because of its potential advantages including higher data rates and license free spectrum. Many studies have conducted performance analyses of optical communication channels, but few have investigated beacon tracking channels under atmospheric turbulence. The centroid accuracy of beacon tracking channels is limited by not only noise sources, but also a finite delay time, which also fluctuates due to atmospheric turbulence. Consequently, the centroid error is an important figure of merit when evaluating the performance of a beacon tracking system. In this study, the closed-form expressions were derived for average centroid error and fade probability, based on received photoelectron counts depending on exposure time, taking into account the log-normal tracking channels. We analyzed the angular positioning performance of beacon tracking detectors onboard small satellites in the presence of atmospheric turbulence, in terms of centroid error and fade probability. We found that an optimal exposure time exists, which minimizes the centroid error, and that fade probability is inversely proportional to the exposure time. These are significant properties to consider in the design of beacon tracking systems.