Aperture-averaged level-crossing probability in an atmospheric communication link.

Area of Science:

• Optical Engineering
• Atmospheric Optics
• Wireless Communication

Background:

• Atmospheric optical communication systems are susceptible to intensity fluctuations.
• Accurate modeling of light pulse statistics is crucial for system reliability.
• Previous studies often assume point apertures, neglecting real-world detector sizes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the intensity statistics of light pulses for a finite detector aperture in atmospheric communication.
• To develop a theoretical model for calculating aperture-averaged pulse intensity statistics.
• To analyze the influence of aperture radius and pulse sequence parameters on level-crossing probability.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a discrete aperture model to calculate statistics of aperture-averaged pulse intensities.
• Applied the multidimensional log-normal distribution for statistical calculations.
• Conducted numerical simulations and experimental measurements for validation.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated the dependence of level-crossing probability on aperture radius.
• Showed that the number of pulses and the length of a pulse sequence significantly affect level-crossing probability.
• Experimental measurements closely matched the theoretical predictions.

Conclusions:

• The finite detector aperture significantly influences light pulse intensity statistics in atmospheric links.
• The developed model accurately predicts level-crossing probabilities, considering aperture effects.
• Findings are crucial for designing robust and reliable atmospheric optical communication systems.