Pre-distortion adaptive optics for optical feeder links: simulations and performance analyses.

Area of Science:

• Optical communication systems
• Satellite communication technology
• Atmospheric optics

Background:

• Free-space optical communication (FSOC) is crucial for future high-bandwidth demands.
• Atmospheric turbulence severely degrades FSOC link performance, limiting reliability.
• Geostationary orbit (GEO) feeder links face significant atmospheric challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the performance of a bidirectional FSOC link with pre-distortion adaptive optics (AO).
• To evaluate the impact of AO on a link between an optical ground station and a GEO satellite.
• To quantify the improvements in link losses, scintillation, and budget requirements.

Main Methods:

• End-to-end Monte Carlo simulations were employed for realistic performance estimation.
• The study focused on a bidirectional FSOC link incorporating pre-distortion AO.
• The simulation scenario involved a link between the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and the Alphasat GEO satellite.

Main Results:

• Pre-distortion AO reduced total uplink losses by up to 10 dB.
• Scintillation at the GEO satellite was reduced by an order of magnitude.
• Link budget requirements for 99.9% uptime were eased by 20-40 dB.
• Using AO with a laser guide star provided an additional 8 dB improvement.

Conclusions:

• Pre-distortion adaptive optics are highly effective in mitigating atmospheric turbulence for FSOC links.
• The application of AO significantly enhances the feasibility and reliability of optical feeder links.
• AO technology is essential for achieving robust and high-performance satellite communication systems.