Impact of pointing errors on the performance of generalized atmospheric optical channels

Antonio-Jurado-Navas, José María Garrido-Balsells, José Francisco Paris, Miguel Castillo-Vázquez, Antonio Puerta-Notario
January 2012
Cite DOI URL

Abstract

Recently, a new and generalized statistical model, calledM or Malaga distribution, was proposed to model the irradiance fluctuations of an unbounded optical wavefront (plane and spherical waves) propagating through a turbulent medium under all irradiance fluctuation conditions in homogeneous, isotropic turbulence. Malaga distribution was demonstrated to have the advantage of unifying most of the proposed statistical models derived until now in the bibliography in a closed-form expression providing, in addition, an excellent agreement with published plane wave and spherical wave simulation data over a wide range of turbulence conditions (weak to strong). Now, such a model is completed by including the adverse effect of pointing error losses due to misalignment. In this respect, the well-known effects of aperture size, beam width and jitter variance are taken into account. Accordingly, after presenting the analytical expressions for the combined distribution of scintillation and pointing errors, we derive its centered moments of the overall probability distribution. Finally, we obtain the analytical expressions for the average bit error rate performance for the M distribution affected by pointing errors. Numerical results show the impact of misalignment on link performance. © 2012 Optical Society of America.

Type
Journal article
Publication
Optics Express
Artifacts Models Theoretical Scattering Radiation Alignment Probability Distributions Adverse Effect Analytical Expressions Aperture Sizes Average Bit-Error Rates Beam Widths Closed-Form Expression Fluctuation Conditions Isotropic Turbulence Jitter Variance Link Performance Numerical Results Optical Channels Optical Wavefront Plane Wave Pointing Errors Spherical Waves Statistical Models Turbulence Conditions Turbulent Medium Article Artifact Atmosphere Light Methodology Radiation Scattering Refractometry Theoretical Model Computer Simulation
José María Garrido-Balsells
José María Garrido-Balsells
Professor of Telecommunications Engineering

Professor at the University of Málaga working on wireless optical communications, free-space optical links, underwater optical wireless communications, optical channel modelling and experimental communication systems.

Antonio Puerta-Notario
Antonio Puerta-Notario
Emeritus Professor / Senior Researcher

Emeritus Professor at the University of Málaga with a long-standing research activity in signal theory, optical wireless communications, visible light communications, free-space optical links and communication system modelling.