Effect of Doppler shift on preamplifier DPSK receivers using balanced detection for optical satellite networks

Optical satellite networks using laser intersatellite links are recognized as being capable of satisfying the increasing broadband communication demands. However, the Doppler shift due to relative movement between satellites must be taken into consideration. A convenient method that does not require complicated mathematical calculation is adopted to derive the relationship between the residual Doppler shift and the bit error rate (BER) for the balanced differential phase-shift keying (DPSK) detection system. It is shown that the DPSK receiver is sensitive to the residual Doppler shift; when the residual Doppler shift Δf/R_b is 0.05, 0.10, and 0.15, the BER is reduced from a level of 10^-17 to a level of 10^-14, 10^-11, and 10^-6, respectively. The BER of a certain node pair under different link assignment schemes is calculated in a typical multi-hop LEO constellation. The results show that the communication BER of the same node pair is not only related to the step change of the Doppler but also related to the accumulation of the Doppler shift in the optical path. The results obtained here will be helpful in routing selection, link assignment, topology design, and system compensation.