Scintillation minimization versus intensity maximization in optimal beams.

Area of Science:

• Optical communications
• Beam propagation
• Wave physics

Background:

• Scintillation in optical beams poses challenges for free-space optical communications.
• Minimizing scintillation is a complex optimization problem with limited known solutions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate and formulate the general problem of minimizing optical beam scintillation.
• To find analytical and numerical solutions for scintillation reduction.
• To develop a method balancing scintillation reduction and signal intensity.

Main Methods:

• Formulation of scintillation minimization as a convex optimization problem.
• Derivation of an analytical solution.
• Numerical simulations to evaluate beam characteristics and performance.
• Development and application of a novel convex cost function.

Main Results:

• An analytical solution shows that incoherent light minimizes scintillation.
• Numerical results indicate that scintillation-minimizing beams have low receiver intensity.
• A new cost function effectively balances scintillation and intensity.
• Optimized beams reduce scintillation while maintaining higher receiver intensity.

Conclusions:

• Convex optimization provides a framework for minimizing optical beam scintillation.
• Incoherent light is optimal for scintillation reduction but impacts intensity.
• A balanced cost function offers a practical approach for designing optical beams with reduced scintillation and preserved intensity.