Analysis of fading in the propagation channel for the ORCA laser communication system

Paul R. Sauer; Ronald L. Phillips; Larry C. Andrews; David T. Wayne; Troy T. Leclerc

doi:10.1117/12.887997

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25 May 2011 Analysis of fading in the propagation channel for the ORCA laser communication system

Paul R. Sauer, Ronald L. Phillips, Larry C. Andrews, David T. Wayne, Troy T. Leclerc

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Proceedings Volume 8038, Atmospheric Propagation VIII; 80380D (2011) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.887997
Event: SPIE Defense, Security, and Sensing, 2011, Orlando, Florida, United States

Abstract

Irradiance data were collected over an air-to-ground path using several different sized receiving apertures. The data were collected from the Optical RF Communications Adjunct (ORCA) tracking beacon. The receiver system consisted of three telescopes of sizes 51 mm, 137 mm, and 272 mm. Probability of fade, number of fades per second, and mean fade time was computed for various intensity levels for irradiance data collected on all three telescopes. These measured statistics are compared to fading models derived from lognormal and gamma-gamma probability density function (PDF) models. Discussion is centered on the viability of these models under various conditions and on the presence of aero-optic effects. The gamma-gamma and lognormal model are found to be insufficient to model all fading statistics.

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Paul R. Sauer, Ronald L. Phillips, Larry C. Andrews, David T. Wayne, and Troy T. Leclerc "Analysis of fading in the propagation channel for the ORCA laser communication system", Proc. SPIE 8038, Atmospheric Propagation VIII, 80380D (25 May 2011); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.887997

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