Atmospheric-turbulence-induced power-fade statistics for a multiaperture optical receiver.

Area of Science:

• Electromagnetic wave propagation
• Atmospheric turbulence
• Optical physics

Background:

• Electromagnetic wave propagation is susceptible to atmospheric turbulence.
• Turbulence causes wave-front intensity fluctuations and distortion, leading to power fades.
• Understanding and mitigating these power fades is crucial for reliable communication systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To estimate probability distributions of power fades.
• To assess the effectiveness of spatial diversity in reducing losses caused by atmospheric turbulence.
• To analyze the impact of wave-front intensity fluctuations and distortion on receiver performance.

Main Methods:

• Simulating turbulence-induced wave-front phase distortion using fractal techniques.
• Modeling collected power fluctuations with a log-normal distribution.
• Employing a multiaperture receiver configuration to implement spatial diversity.

Main Results:

• Spatial diversity significantly reduces the cumulative probability of power losses.
• Fractal techniques effectively simulate turbulence-induced phase distortion.
• The log-normal model provides a suitable approximation for power fluctuations.

Conclusions:

• Spatial diversity is an effective mitigation strategy against power fades in turbulent atmospheric conditions.
• The combination of fractal simulation and log-normal modeling offers a robust approach for analyzing wave propagation.
• This research contributes to improving the reliability of electromagnetic wave communication through turbulent atmospheres.