Investigation of a coherent dual-polarized 16-QAM 16-channel WDM FSO gamma–gamma fading system under various atmospheric losses

Abstract

This work presents the dual-polarized quadrature amplitude modulated (QAM) signals transmitted via a sixteen-channel wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) and free-space optics (FSO) communication link. Through an FSO link up to 98 km, it achieves a transmission rate of 120 Gbps per channel. The system's performance is evaluated by calculating atmospheric attenuations in clear, hazy, rainy, and fog situations. Optisystem, an optical network design tool, examined the proposed link. Bit error rate, received signal constellation, error vector magnitude, and geometric loss for various FSO channel lengths were calculated. According to the results, the system can successfully transmit a data rate of 1.92 Tbps over the 98 km range of the FSO link under clear weather, 18.5–3.8 km under haze, 6.25–2.3 km in the rain, and 4.55–2.15 km in fog conditions. Comparing results to previous reports showed that the proposed system was found to be better in dynamic atmospheric circumstances.

KEYWORDS:

• Free-space optical
• Wavelength division multiplexing
• atmospheric losses
• bit error rate

Disclosure statement

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

Notes

1 FG – Fog, 2 HZ – Haze, 3RA - Rain.