PDM-DPSK-MPPM hybrid modulation for multi-hop free- space optical communication

A hybrid polarization division multiplexed-differential phase shift keying-multipulse pulse position modulation (PDM-DPSK-MPPM) scheme for multi-hop free-space optical (FSO) communication is investigated. The analytical bit error rate (BER) of the proposed system in Gamma-Gamma turbulence channels is derived and verified using computer simulation. The results show that both multi-hop and hybrid modulation schemes are efficient techniques to improve the performance of FSO links. Compared with the traditional binary phase shift keying (BPSK) and MPPM, the hybrid scheme can improve the bandwidth-utilization efficiency and reliability of the system. Compared with the coherent demodulation of PDM-QPSK-MPPM, the system complexity is reduced at the cost of the degradation of BER performance, which can improve the practicality of hybrid modulation technology in FSO system.