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Updated: Aug 15, 2026
06:14
Simulating Imaging of Large Scale Radio Arrays on the Lunar Surface
Published on: July 30, 2020
Communication- and physics-adaptive carrierless phase-retrieval reception for LEO satellite-to-ground FSO
Optics Express
|August 14, 2026
Summary
We developed a communication- and physics-adaptive phase retrieval (CP-APR) scheme for satellite-to-ground optical links. This method significantly improves signal quality, enabling high-speed data transmission over long distances.
Area of Science:
- Optical Communications
- Free-Space Optics (FSO)
- Satellite Communications
Background:
- Free-space optical (FSO) links are crucial for high-speed satellite-to-ground communication.
- Traditional intensity modulation/direct detection (IM/DD) systems face limitations in performance and complexity.
- Phase retrieval offers a potential solution for enhanced FSO link performance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose and validate a novel communication- and physics-adaptive phase retrieval (CP-APR) scheme.
- To enable robust full-field reconstruction from intensity-only measurements in LEO satellite-to-ground FSO links.
- To demonstrate a hardware-simplified, LO-free, coherent-compatible solution for future optical satellite links.
Main Methods:
- Developed a unified carrierless phase-retrieval framework incorporating S-RAAR backbone, adaptive dispersion tuning, communication prior, and ASPC.
- Conducted ground-based indoor equivalent-link experiments simulating LEO satellite-to-ground FSO links.
- Evaluated transmission performance under turbulence-impaired conditions for various distances and modulation formats.
Main Results:
- Achieved Q-factor improvements of up to 16.01 dB compared to IM/DD for 16QAM 10-Gbaud transmission over 300-500 km equivalent distances.
- Demonstrated a gross bit rate of 42 Gbps at 500 km under the 7% hard-decision forward error correction threshold.
- Validated the feasibility of CP-APR reception in tested LEO satellite-to-ground FSO links.
Conclusions:
- The proposed CP-APR scheme is a feasible and effective solution for LEO satellite-to-ground FSO links.
- CP-APR offers significant performance enhancements over traditional IM/DD systems.
- This technology presents a promising path towards simplified, high-performance optical satellite communication.
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