Incoherent on-off keying with classical and non-classical light

Area of Science:

• Optical Communications
• Quantum Optics
• Information Theory

Background:

• Direct detection optical systems often use on-off keying (OOK) or pulse position modulation (PPM).
• Performance analysis is crucial under low average photon number constraints in lossy narrowband channels.
• Photon statistics significantly impact communication efficiency.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the performance of OOK and PPM in lossy narrowband optical channels with direct detection.
• To derive an analytical approximation for the maximum PPM transmission rate.
• To quantify the influence of photon statistics, specifically the g((2)) function, on communication efficiency.

Main Methods:

• Performance analysis of OOK and PPM under low average photon number.
• Derivation of an analytical approximation for maximum PPM transmission rate.
• Quantification of photon statistics effects using the g((2)) second-order intensity correlation function.

Main Results:

• An analytical approximation for the maximum PPM transmission rate was derived.
• The impact of photon statistics on communication efficiency was quantified.
• The potential for performance enhancement using sub-Poissonian light was discussed.

Conclusions:

• Photon statistics, particularly the g((2)) function, are critical for optical communication efficiency.
• Sub-Poissonian light offers a pathway to enhance PPM performance in low photon number regimes.
• The findings provide insights into optimizing optical communication systems through tailored light sources.