Optimization of a laser satellite communication system with an optical preamplifier

We derive a model that optimizes the performance of a laser satellite communication link with an optical preamplifier in the presence of random jitter in the transmitter-receiver line of sight. The system utilizes a transceiver containing a single telescope with a circulator. The telescope is used for both transmitting and receiving and thus reduces communication terminal dimensions and weight. The optimization model was derived under the assumption that the dominant noise source was amplifier spontaneous-emission noise. It is shown that, given the required bit-error rate (BER) and the rms random pointing jitter, an optimal transceiver gain exists that minimizes transmitted power. We investigate the effect of the amplifier spontaneous-emission noise on the optimal transmitted power and gain by performing an optimization procedure for various combinations of amplifier gain and noise figure. We demonstrate that the amplifier noise figure determines the optimal transmitted power needed to achieve the desired BER but does not affect the optimal transceiver telescope gain. Our numerical example shows that for a BER of 10(-9), doubling the amplifier noise figure results in an 80% increase in minimal transmitted power for a rms pointing jitter of 0.44 microrad.     

Performance limitations of a free-space optical communication satellite network owing to vibrations: heterodyne detection

Free-space optical communication between satellites in a distributed network can permit high data rates of communication between different places on Earth. To establish optical communication between any two satellites requires that the line of sight of their optics be aligned during the entire communication time. Because of the large distance between the satellites and the alignment accuracy required, the pointing from one satellite to another is complicated because of vibrations of the pointing system caused by two fundamental stochastic mechanisms: tracking noise created by the electro-optic tracker and vibrations derived from mechanical components. Vibration of the transmitter beam in the receiver plane causes a decrease in the received optical power. Vibrations of the receiver telescope relative to the received beam decrease the heterodyne mixing efficiency. These two factors increase the bit-error rate of a coherent detection network. We derive simple mathematical models of the network bit-error rate versus the system parameters and the transmitter and receiver vibration statistics. An example of a practical optical heterodyne free-space satellite optical communication network is presented. From this research it is clear that even low-amplitude vibration of the satellite-pointing systems dramatically decreases network performance.     

Beam width and transmitter power adaptive to tracking system performance for free-space optical communication

The basic free-space optical communication system includes at least two satellites. To communicate between them, the transmitter satellite must track the beacon of the receiver satellite and point the information optical beam in its direction. Optical tracking and pointing systems for free space suffer during tracking from high-amplitude vibration because of background radiation from interstellar objects such as the Sun, Moon, Earth, and stars in the tracking field of view or the mechanical impact from satellite internal and external sources. The vibrations of beam pointing increase the bit error rate and jam communication between the two satellites. One way to overcome this problem is to increase the satellite receiver beacon power. However, this solution requires increased power consumption and weight, both of which are disadvantageous in satellite development. Considering these facts, we derive a mathematical model of a communication system that adapts optimally the transmitter beam width and the transmitted power to the tracking system performance. Based on this model, we investigate the performance of a communication system with discrete element optical phased array transmitter telescope gain. An example for a practical communication system between a Low Earth Orbit Satellite and a Geostationary Earth Orbit Satellite is presented. From the results of this research it can be seen that a four-element adaptive transmitter telescope is sufficient to compensate for vibration amplitude doubling. The benefits of the proposed model are less required transmitter power and improved communication system performance.     

Performance of a laser microsatellite network with an optical preamplifier

Laser satellite communication (LSC) uses free space as a propagation medium for various applications, such as intersatellite communication or satellite networking. An LSC system includes a laser transmitter and an optical receiver. For communication to occur, the line of sight of the transmitter and the receiver must be aligned. However, mechanical vibration and electronic noise in the control system reduce alignment between the transmitter laser beam and the receiver field of view (FOV), which results in pointing errors. The outcome of pointing errors is fading of the received signal, which leads to impaired link performance. An LSC system is considered in which the optical preamplifier is incorporated into the receiver, and a bit error probability (BEP) model is derived that takes into account the statistics of the pointing error as well as the optical amplifier and communication system parameters. The model and the numerical calculation results indicate that random pointing errors of sigma(chi)2G > 0.05 penalize communication performance dramatically for all combinations of optical amplifier gains and noise figures that were calculated.     

Optimum divergence angle of a Gaussian beam wave in the presence of random jitter in free-space laser communication systems

The average bit error rate (BER) of optical communication systems is considered in the presence of random angular jitter. First, the received power and the BER in the absence of jitter are reviewed. Then the average BER is obtained in the presence of circularly symmetric, normally distributed jitter by using the probability density function of the optical signal. By minimizing the power penalty for average BER, the optimum ratio of the divergence angle of the laser beam to the random angular jitter at the desired BER is obtained. An analytic approximation of the optimum ratio is derived as a function of the desired average BER. The results can be used for designing the link budget of optical communication and tracking channels in the presence of jitter.     

Tracking in a ground-to-satellite optical link: effects due to lead-ahead and aperture mismatch, including temporal tracking response

Establishing a link between a ground station and a geosynchronous orbiting satellite can be aided greatly with the use of a beacon on the satellite. A tracker, or even an adaptive optics system, can use the beacon during communication or tracking activities to correct beam pointing for atmospheric turbulence and mount jitter effects. However, the pointing lead-ahead required to illuminate the moving object and an aperture mismatch between the tracking and the pointing apertures can limit the effectiveness of the correction, as the sensed tilt will not be the same as the tilt required for optimal transmission to the satellite. We have developed an analytical model that addresses the combined impact of these tracking issues in a ground-to-satellite optical link. We present these results for different tracker/pointer configurations. By setting the low-pass cutoff frequency of the tracking servo properly, the tracking errors can be minimized. The analysis considers geosynchronous Earth orbit satellites as well as low Earth orbit satellites.     

一种基于软件仿真平台的通信链路测试

针对目前测试卫星通信传输链路误码率需要庞大和昂贵的硬件资源现状,我们借助于安捷伦公司的ADS软件仿真平台,通过和测试仪器无缝连接的半实物仿真技术,搭建了一条完整的卫星通信链路,并利用ADS软件中的"重点采样法"统计通信误码率。通过这种仿真和实验,证明该设计方法概念清晰,开发周期较短,降低了设备成本。     

Use of satellite natural vibrations to improve performance of free-space satellite laser communication

In some of the future laser communication satellites, it is plausible to assume that tracking and communication receivers will use the same detector array. The reason for dual use of the detector is to design simpler and less expensive satellites. Satellites vibrate continually because of their subsystems and environmental sources. The vibrations cause nonuniform spreading of the received energy on the detector array. In view of this, the information from the tracking system is used to adapt individually the communication signal gain of each of the detectors in the array. This adaptation of the gains improves communication system performance. It is important to emphasize that the communication performance improvement is achieved only by gain adaptation. Any additional vibrations decrease the tracking and laser pointing system performances, which decrease the return communication performances (two-way communication). A comparison of practical communication systems is presented. The novelty of this research is the utilization of natural satellite vibrations to improve the communication system performance.     

Measuring radiation induced changes in the error rate of fiber optic data links

The purpose of this work is to investigate the effects of ionizing (gamma) radiation exposure on the bit error rate (BER) of an optical fiber data communication link. While it is known that exposure to high radiation dose rates will darken optical fiber permanently, comparatively little work has been done to evaluate moderate dose rates. The resulting increase in fiber attenuation over time represents an additional penalty in the link optical power budget, which can degrade the BER if it is not accounted for in the link design. Modeling the link to predict this penalty is difficult, and it requires detailed information about the fiber composition that may not be available to the link designer. We describe a laboratory method for evaluating the effects of moderate dose rates on both single-mode and multimode fiber. Once a sample of fiber has been measured, the data can be fit to a simple model for predicting (at least to first order) BER as a function of radiation dose for fibers of similar composition.     

空间光通信系统的设计及实现

提出一种较全面的空间光通信系统结构。该系统的光发射接收子系统采用三发三收的设计方法,以增大光的发射功率和接收功率;APT子系统采用望远镜进行粗瞄准,音频调制光标信号进行精瞄准;控制子系统采用Ethernet接口,远程通过Internet对系统进行测量和控制的设计方法。给出一个近地大气空间光通信系统的设计实例, 其信号传输速率为155Mbps,传输距离为4km,在误码率不大于10-9条件下,系统接收灵敏度达到-52dBm。     

空间热载荷作用下星载天线耦合动态影响分析

为了研究空间热载荷对星载天线刚柔耦合多体系统的扰动,根据抛物反射面几何特征,采用壳体单元有限元离散化法,并考虑壳体厚度方向上的温度变化,建立了有限元列式的热传导方程;引入与应变能有关的耦合项,利用拉格朗日法推导了星载天线系统的大范围刚柔耦合动力学方程,研究了温度载荷对星载天线多体系统的动力学特性影响。仿真结果表明:空间热效应引起了动态的温度载荷,与结构变形发生耦合,诱发耦合颤振,加剧柔性反射面的弹性振动,造成卫星姿态和天线指向的扰动,严重影响了星载天线的指向精度。结论对星载天线指向精度的分析与控制具有重要的理论价值及工程实际意义。     

Exact bit error rate analysis of direct sequence ultra-wide band multiple access systems in lognormal multipath fading channels

Exact BER analysis is carried out using the characteristic function (CF) method for direct sequence ultra-wide band (DS-UWB) systems in lognormal multipath fading channels. Unlike the Gaussian approximation (GA) method, the CF method deals with exact probability density function (PDF) of the total noise [including multiple access interference, self interference and additive white gaussian noise (AWGN)] instead of making approximation on PDF of the total noise. Exact bit error rate (BER) formula is derived and verified by simulation results. It is shown that the CF method is more accurate than the GA method in BER calculation when SNR is large. Based on the BER formula, the performance of the DS pulse amplitude modulation UWB and DS pulse position modulation UWB systems is accurately compared. Discussions based on CFs provide further insight into the numerical results.     

Time jitter influence on the performance of gamma–gamma turbulence FSO links with various modulation schemes

ABSTRACT

The research area of optical wireless communication links has attracted significant interest over the last years due to the significant advantages offered by this kind of technology. However, the performance of FSO communication systems depends strongly on the effects, which are related to the atmosphere along the propagation path such FSO links are using. More specifically, the weather conditions and atmospheric turbulence effects can deteriorate considerably the performance characteristics. In this work, we are studying the joint influence of atmospheric turbulence and time jitter effects on the average BER of an FSO link by presenting a new approach for various modulation schemes. Thus new closed-form mathematical expressions are derived for accurate estimation of the BER performance of the optical wireless communication systems. Finally, using the obtained expressions and typical parameter values for FSO links, the numerical results are presented and then verified through Monte Carlo simulations.     

传输斜移对同步并行光传输系统性能的影响

针对一个具体的链路模型,通过计算机仿真分析了传输斜移对同步并行光传输系统性能的影响.光纤中的信号分析在频域中通过快速傅立叶变换(fast fourier transform,FFT)进行.分别计算了单信道误码率以及没有传输斜移和有传输斜移时并行信道总的误码率.计算结果表明,在噪声不是影响系统性能的主要因素时,传输斜移是决定并行光传输系统最大同步传输速率和传输距离的一个重要因素.     

Optimal design of a novel tuned mass-damper–inerter (TMDI) passive vibration control configuration for stochastically support-excited structural systems

This paper proposes a novel passive vibration control configuration, namely the tuned mass-damper–inerter (TMDI), introduced as a generalization of the classical tuned mass-damper (TMD), to suppress the oscillatory motion of stochastically support excited mechanical cascaded (chain-like) systems. The TMDI takes advantage of the “mass amplification effect” of the inerter, a two-terminal flywheel device developing resisting forces proportional to the relative acceleration of its terminals, to achieve enhanced performance compared to the classical TMD. Specifically, it is analytically shown that optimally designed TMDI outperforms the classical TMD in minimizing the displacement variance of undamped single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) white-noise excited primary structures. For this particular case, optimal TMDI parameters are derived in closed-form as functions of the TMD mass and the inerter constant. Furthermore, pertinent numerical data are furnished, derived by means of a numerical optimization procedure, for a 3-DOF classically damped primary structure base excited by stationary colored noise, which exemplify the effectiveness of the TMDI over the classical TMD to suppress the fundamental mode of vibration for MDOF structures. It is concluded that the incorporation of the inerter in the proposed TMDI configuration can either replace part of the TMD vibrating mass to achieve lightweight passive vibration control solutions, or improve the performance of the classical TMD for a given TMD mass.     

Chaos-based multi-user time division multiplexing communication system

A chaos-based multi-user time division multiplexing (TDM) communication system has been proposed and its benchmark performance compared to that of the chaos-based direct sequence code division multiple access (DS-CDMA) system in the noisy and Rayleigh fading channels. The benchmark performance of the systems is investigated in terms of the bit error rate (BER) under the assumption of perfect synchronisation. The chaotic spreading signals, used to encrypt the binary messages, are generated using the logistic map. The degradation in performance of the systems in the Rayleigh fading channel when compared with the noisy channel is demonstrated. Furthermore, it is shown that in both noisy and Rayleigh fading channels, the chaos-based multi-user TDM system outperforms the chaos-based DS-CDMA system for a large number of users in the system, whereas the chaos-based DS-CDMA system yields better performance for low user numbers. The overall BER performance degradation for the chaos-based DS-CDMA multi-user system in noisy and Rayleigh fading channels is characterised by the flattening of the BER curves at low levels of noise due to the prevailing effects of the interuser interferences.     

数字通信基带设备误码率的估计方法

针对航天测控系统中数字基带设备误码率（BER）闭环自测无法溯源的问题,提出了采用误差矢量幅度（EVM）和相位噪声作为间接评价方法。分析了在加性高斯白噪声下的EVM和BER之间的关系,并给出了使用EVM预测BER的经验公式;分析了相位噪声对BER的影响方式,为相位噪声突变情况下的BER预测提供了依据;以单台基带设备为测试对象,在建立EVM与BER预测关系式后,将后续3个月内预测和测试的结果进行对比,对比结果最大相对偏差不大于12.5%。实验表明,在加性白噪声的情况下,使用EVM和相位噪声替代BER作为评价指标是可行的,且EVM更直观、更能直接体现过程影响量、有利于基带设备的溯源。     

Effects of chromatic dispersion on microwave and millimetre wave carrier transmission in optical fibres

Abstract

A new formalism for the analysis of optical (phase) noise in fibre-optic communication links is presented. The formalism is applied to an amplitude modulated millimetre-wave (or microwave) link with chromatic dispersion. A realistic link model is described and rigorously solved. In general, the power spectrum of the output signal consists of a ‘comb’ of spectral components with centre separation equal to the modulation frequency. Each spectral component contains a smooth ‘noise’ curve and a narrow spike which represents a modulated field component (carrier). With the new method it is possible to compute each spectral component and, consequently, the full power spectrum. From the power spectrum one can compute quantities relevant to the link design, in particular the carrier-to-noise ratio. Several graphs are presented, showing the power spectrum and the carrier-to-noise ratio for different values of the modulation frequency, link dispersion and modulation index. Several conclusions regarding the millimetre-wave fibre-optic link are dis-cussed.     

CDMA卫星移动通信系统多重信号接收及其软件化实现

提出了一种适于卫星移动通信系统的CDMA多重接民协议,对其进行了原理分析并具体描述了其实现方式,同时,将软件无线电技术应用于该系统,给出了该协议的软件化实现方案,仿真结果表明,CDMA卫星移动通信系统多重信号接收其软件化是可行,并可应用于其它无线通信系统中。