A tone-based irradiance variance monitoring technique

Mike S. Ferraro; Rita Mahon; Zachary T. Zern; William S. Rabinovich

doi:10.1117/12.2676282

3 October 2023 A tone-based irradiance variance monitoring technique

Mike S. Ferraro, Rita Mahon, Zachary T. Zern, William S. Rabinovich

Proceedings Volume 12691, Laser Communication and Propagation through the Atmosphere and Oceans XII; 126910C (2023) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2676282
Event: SPIE Optical Engineering + Applications, 2023, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

As the RF spectrum becomes increasingly congested, the development of terrestrial free-space optical communication (FSOC) systems has taken on greater importance. The performance of these systems is strongly impacted by optical scintillation which causes both spatial and temporal disturbances that can have a significant impact on link availability. The scintillation index, σ_Ι², is a measure of the normalized irradiance variance observed across a given receiver aperture and represents a key parameter in the modelling of link availability. Conventional measurement techniques of σ_Ι² are based on a CW laser transmitter illuminating a DC-coupled, wide dynamic range photodetector over a propagation path of interest. As such, the measurement setup is typically solely dedicated to scintillation index collection and solar background contributions need to be closely monitored to avoid measurement bias. Here, we describe a versatile, tone-based characterization approach that provides a real-time measurement of σ_Ι² using either a FSO system’s tracking tone or its data modulation envelope. Furthermore, since the approach operates exclusively on the AC component of the tone, background correction is no longer required. Initial results using tone-based σ_Ι² monitoring are presented and compared directly with σ_Ι² evaluated using the conventional DC-based approach.

Conference Presentation

(2023) Published by SPIE. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.

Citation Download Citation

Mike S. Ferraro, Rita Mahon, Zachary T. Zern, and William S. Rabinovich "A tone-based irradiance variance monitoring technique", Proc. SPIE 12691, Laser Communication and Propagation through the Atmosphere and Oceans XII, 126910C (3 October 2023); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2676282

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