Underwater optical communication performance for laser beam propagation through weak oceanic turbulence

Area of Science:

• Optical communication
• Oceanography
• Fluid dynamics

Background:

• Underwater optical communication systems face performance limitations due to oceanic turbulence.
• Oceanic turbulence arises from fluctuations in water temperature and salinity, affecting the refractive index.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the effects of oceanic turbulence on underwater optical communication system performance.
• To investigate the impact of receiver aperture size on scintillation and bit error rate.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing the refractive index spectrum of oceanic turbulence under weak turbulence conditions.
• Analyzing horizontally propagating plane and spherical waves.
• Calculating aperture-averaged scintillation index, probability of fade, signal-to-noise ratio, and bit error rate.

Main Results:

• A large-aperture receiver significantly decreases scintillation, enhancing system performance.
• Performance improvements are more pronounced for plane waves compared to spherical waves.
• The rate of dissipation of mean squared temperature and temperature-salinity balance parameter influence these effects.

Conclusions:

• Large-aperture receivers are crucial for mitigating turbulence effects in underwater optical communication.
• Theoretical analysis provides insights into optimizing system design for clear ocean water environments.
• Findings are applicable to improving the reliability and efficiency of optical communication links beneath the ocean surface.