Analysis of the influence of atmospheric turbulence on modulating retro-reflector optical communication

Abstract

The paper discusses the atmospheric turbulence effect on modulating retro-reflector (MRR) optical communication systems with theoretical analysis and experimental verification. The transmission model is proposed by the phase screen method. Based on this model, the scintillation indices (SI) are calculated, and the aperture averaging effect of the MRR terminal is analyzed. Furthermore, a test bed with 506 m transmission link is established. In the experiment, the SI values of the MRR link and the direct link are obtained and compared. Experimental data agree well with the numerical simulation results and verify the theoretical model. The theoretical results are useful for analyzing the influence of turbulence on MRR systems.

KEYWORDS:

• Modulating retro-reflector optical communication
• atmospheric turbulence
• scintillation index

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [grant number No.61975238 and No.62171463].