Single Photon Detection Technology in Underwater Wireless Optical Communication:Modulation Modes and Error Correction Coding Analysis

This study explores the application of single photon detection(SPD)technology in underwater wireless optical communication(UWOC)and analyzes the influence of different modulation modes and error correction coding types on communication performance.The study investigates the impact of on-off keying(OOK)and 2-pulse-position modulation(2-PPM)on the bit error rate(BER)in single-channel intensity and polarization multiplexing.Furthermore,it compares the error correction performance of low-density parity check(LDPC)and Reed-Solomon(RS)codes across different error correction coding types.The effects of unscattered photon ratio and depolarization ratio on BER are also verified.Finally,a UWOC system based on SPD is constructed,achieving 14.58 Mbps with polarization OOK multiplexing modulation and 4.37 Mbps with polarization 2-PPM multiplexing modulation using LDPC code error correction.

A Cumulant-Based Adaptive Detection Technique for Optical Wireless Communication Over Strong Turbulence Channels

The optical wireless communication (OWC) is afading channel because of the effect of atmosphericattenuation. We introduce a cumulant-based adaptive detection technique to providehigh performance for OWC. The received signalof OWC over strong turbulence channels is assumedto be a mixture of K-distributed fading andGaussian distributed thermal noise. In order tomitigate the fading induced by turbulence, thedecision threshold-updating algorithm based onsecond and higher order cumulants is proposed,which is able to operate in an unknown turbulenceenvironment. The performance of the adaptiveprocessing scheme has been evaluated by meansof Monte Carlo simulations. It is shown that theproposed approach proves valuable for a limitednumber K of memory data.

Green indoor optical wireless communication systems:Pathway towards pervasive deployment

The Optical Wireless Communication(OWC)offers the high capacity of optical fiber communication with the flexibility of wireless communication.Since it works in the optical region of the ElectroMagnetic(EM)spectrum,it guarantees safety and security which are critical in radio and microwave frequency communication.The principal objective of this paper is to analyze the indoor OWC systems on these guaranteed features,and safety and security are jointly denoted by the term green.The high obstacle impermeability of optical signals and their directivity strengthen the security of indoor OWC data transmission.The confidentiality and authenticity of optical wireless data can also be preserved with the Quantum Key Distribution(QKD).This paper provides a technological overview and a review of literature about the OWC system that helps to identify the challenges in the path of a ubiquitous deployment of green wireless communication systems.Significant advancements in the sources and detectors are discussed together with the coding,modulation and multiplexing techniques for making highly robust OWC links.The ubiquitous deployment of green OWC necessitates the development of optical transmitters and receivers,performance enhancement techniques,incorporation of uplink and energy harvesting abilities,and safety and security enhancement techniques.Hence,a special emphasis is placed on these aspects and their challenges towards the green implementation.Furthermore,the paper explores some significant indoor applications based on the OWC that have great impacts on the Next Generation Networks(NGN)and the Internet of Things(IoT).

Petahertz communication:Harmonizing optical spectra for wireless communications

With the rapid deployment of Next-Generation Networks(NGN),the research community has initiated discussions on an entirely new suite of optical enabling techniques.To pave the way for the development of future wireless networks,this article aims to unify the existing infrared,visible light,and ultraviolet subbands while also exploring the potential of the Petahertz(PHz)band to support extremely bandwidth-thirsfy telepresence style applications.Our focus is on the emerging Petahertz Communication(PetaCom)framework,scenario-dependent propagation channels,modulation schemes,system performance,multiple access techniques,and networking.We conclude with a range of PetaCom challenges and open research issues.

Proposed Different Signal Processing Tools for Efficient Optical Wireless Communications

Optical Wireless Communication(OWC)is a new trend in communication systems to achieve large bandwidth,high bit rate,high security,fast deployment,and low cost.The basic idea of the OWC is to transmit data on unguided media with light.This system requires multi-carrier modulation such as Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing(OFDM).This paper studies optical OFDM performance based on Intensity Modulation with Direct Detection(IM/DD)system.This system requires a non-negativity constraint.The paper presents a framework for wireless optical OFDM system that comprises(IM/DD)with different forms,Direct Current biased Optical OFDM(DCO-OFDM),Asymmetrically Clipped Optical OFDM(ACO-OFDM),Asymmetrically DC-biased Optical OFDM(ADO-OFDM),and Flip-OFDM.It also considers channel coding as a tool for error control,channel equalization for reducing deterioration due to channel effects,and investigation of the turbulence effects.The evaluation results of the proposed framework reveal enhancement of performance.The performance of the IM/DD-OFDM system is investigated over different channel models such as AWGN,log-normal turbulence channel model,and ceiling bounce channel model.The simulation results show that the BER performance of the IM/DD-OFDM communication system is enhanced while the fading strength is decreased.The results reveal also that Hamming codes,BCH codes,and convolutional codes achieve better BER performance.Also,two algorithms of channel estimation and equalization are considered and compared.These algorithms include the Least Squares(LS)and the Minimum Mean Square Error(MMSE).The simulation results show that the MMSE algorithm gives better BER performance than the LS algorithm.

Optical Wireless Communications

The optical spectrum can serve as a good spectrum resource for wideband wireless communications. The advantages of optical wireless communications （OWC） mainly lie in two aspects： the potential large transmission bandwidth due to the high-frequency carrier, and thecommunication security due to no radio-frequency radiation. Thus OWC can be applied in the seenarios where the radio silence is required or the radio frequency radiation may cause explosions, for example in the battle field or some special ar- eas in the storehouses.

Short-Range Optical Wireless Communications for Indoor and Interconnects Applications

Optical wireless communications have been widely studied during the past decade in short-range applications, such as indoor highspeed wireless networks and interconnects in data centers and high-performance computing. In this paper, recent developments in high-speed short-range optical wireless communications are reviewed, including visible light communications （VLCs）, infrared indoor communication systems, and reconfigurable optical interconnects. The general architecture of indoor high-speed optical wireless communications is described, and the advantages and limitations of both visible and infrared based solutions are discussed. The concept of reconfigurable optical interconnects is presented, and key results are summarized. In addition, the challenges and potential future directions of short-range optical wireless communications are discussed.

Subcarrier Intensity Modulated Optical Wireless Communications:A Survey from Communication Theory Perspective

Subcarrier intensity modulation with direet detection is a modulatiou/detection technique tbr optical wireless communication systems, where a pre-modulated and properly biased radio frequency signal is modulated on the intensity of the optical carrier. The most important benefits of subcarrier intensity modulation are as follows： 1） it does not provide irreducible error floor like the conventional on-off keying intensity modulation with a fixed detection threshold; 2） it provides improved spectral efficiency and supports higher order modulation schemes; and 3） it has much less implementation complexity compared to coherent optical wireless communications with heterodyne or homodyne detection. In this paper, we present an up-to-date review of subcarrier intensity modulated optical wireless communication systems. We survey the error rate and outage performance of subcarrier intensity modulations in the atmospheric turbulence channels considering different modulation and coding schemes. We also explore different contemporary atmospheric turbulence fading mitigation solutions that can be employed for subcarrier intensity modulation. These solutions include diversity combining, adaptive transmission, relay assisted transmission, multiple-subcarrier intensity modulations, and optical orthogonal frequency division multiplexing. Moreover, we review the performance of subcarrier intensity modulations due to the pointing error and synchronization error.

Call for Papers ZTE Communications Special Issue on Optical Wireless Communications

Optical wireless communication, which serves as an important alternative to the radio-frequency communication, shows great potential to a lot of applications, such as indoor communication, secure communication, and battlefield communication. It has attracted increasing research interests from both academia and industrial fields. Moreover, optical wireless communication has been applied to the indoor communication and positioning system. The upcoming special issue of ZTE Communication will focus on the cutting-edge research and application on the communication system and related signal processing in optical wireless communication. The expected publication date will be in Mar. 2016. It includes （but not limited to） the following research directions：

50 m/187.5 Mbit/s real-time underwater wireless optical communication based on optical superimposition

In this paper,an optical pulse amplitude modulation with 4 levels(PAM-4)using a fiber combiner is proposed to enhance the data rate of a field-programmable gate-array-based long-distance real-time underwater wireless optical communication system.Two on-off keying signals with different amplitudes are used to modulate two pigtailed laser diodes,respectively,and the generated optical signals are superimposed into optical PAM-4 signals by a fiber combiner.The optical PAM-4scheme can effectively alleviate the nonlinearity,although it reduces the peak-to-peak value of the emitting optical power by 25%.A real-time data rate of 187.5 Mbit/s is achieved by using the optical PAM-4 with a transmission distance of 50 m.The data rate is increased by about 25%compared with the conventional electrical PAM-4 in the same condition.

Ultraviolet communication technique and its application

With recent developments of deep ultraviolet(DUV)light-emitting diodes and solar-blind detectors,UV communication(UVC)shows great potential in replacing traditional wireless communication in more and more scenarios.Based on the atmospheric scattering of UV radiation,UVC has gained considerable attention due to its non-line-of-sight ability,omnidirectional communication links and low background noise.These advantages make UVC an ideal option for covert secure communication,especially for military communication.In this review,we present the history and working principle of UVC with a special focus on its light sources and detectors.Comprehensive comparison and application of its light sources and detectors are provided to the best of our knowledge.We further discuss the future application and outlook of UVC.Hopefully,this review will offer valuable insights into the future development of UVC.

Timing Synchronization Method for Asymmetrically Clipped DC Biased Optical OFDM System

In a typical intensity-modulated direct-detection optical system, the information is carried on the intensity of the optical signal, and therefore can only be positive. Existing synchronization methods for RF-based OFDM system cannot be used directly in asymmetrically clipped DC biased optical of DM (ADO-OFDM) system. In order to solve the above problem, according to the characteristics of ADO-OFDM signal, the modified training symbol is presented. The simulation results show that the modified synchronization method gives good performance.

Underwater wireless optical communication:why, what, and how? [Invited]

Foreseeing the proliferation of underwater vehicles and sensors,underwater wireless optical communication(UWOC)is a key enabler for ocean exploration,with strong competitiveness in short-range bandwidth-intensive applications.We provide a tutorial on the basic concepts and essential features of UWOC,as well as an overview of work being conducted in this field.Research challenges,arising from the characteristics of underwater channels,and possible roadmaps are discussed in detail.This review is expected to be of great use for the link designers of this field.

Recent achievements on underwater optical wireless communication [Invited]

The growing number of underwater activities is giving momentum to the development of new technologies, such as buoys, remotely operated vehicles, and autonomous underwater vehicles. The data collected by these vehicles need to be transmitted to a high-speed central unit. Clearly, wired solutions are not suitable, since they strongly impact the mobility. In this scenario, a promising solution is offered by underwater optical wireless communication(UOWC) technology, which can achieve both high-speed and wireless operation. Here, we provide a comprehensive survey on the challenges, the experimental realizations, and the state of the art in UOWC researches.

A novel technique for wireless optical communications with lenslet array processor

A novel communication technique is proposed, which utilizes a set of mutually distinguishable optical patterns instead of convergent facula to transmit information. Then the capacity is increased by exploiting the optical spatial bandwidth resources. At last, we experimentally demonstrate the proposed communication technique based on four 8 × 8 spatial pattern signals by using lenslet array processor.

SIMO detection schemes for underwater optical wireless communication under turbulence

In underwater optical wireless communication(UOWC),a channel is characterized by abundant scattering/absorption effects and optical turbulence.Most previous studies on UOWC have been limited to scattering/absorption effects.However,experiments in the literature indicate that underwater optical turbulence(UOT)can cause severe degradation of UOWC performance.In this paper,we characterize an UOWC channel with both scattering/absorption and UOT taken into consideration,and a spatial diversity receiver scheme,say a singleinput–multiple-output(SIMO) scheme,based on a light-emitting-diode(LED) source and multiple detectors is proposed to mitigate deep fading.The Monte Carlo based statistical simulation method is introduced to evaluate the bit-error-rate performance of the system.It is shown that spatial diversity can effectively reduce channel fading and remarkably extend communication range.

Machine-vision-based acquisition,pointing,and tracking system for underwater wireless optical communications

Due to the proliferation of underwater vehicles and sensors,underwater wireless optical communication(UWOC)is a key enabler for ocean exploration with a strong reliance on short-range bandwidth-intensive communications.A stable optical link is of primary importance for UWOC.A compact,low-power,and low-cost acquisition,pointing,and tracking(APT)system is proposed and experimentally demonstrated to realign the optical link within 0.04 s,even when the UWOC transmitter and receiver are in relative motion.The system successfully achieves rapid auto-alignment through a 4 m tap water channel with a relatively large number of bubbles.Furthermore,the required minimum illumination value is measured to be as low as7.1 lx,implying that the proposed APT scheme is robust to dim underwater environments.Meanwhile,mobility experiments are performed to verify the performance of the APT system.The proposed system can rapidly and automatically align moving targets in complex and unstable underwater environments,which can potentially boost the practical applications of UWOC.

Application of phase‑conjugate beams in beam correction and underwater optical wireless communication subject to surface wave turbulence

Water surface wave turbulence is one of the factors afecting the performances of underwater optical wireless communication(UOWC)systems.In our research,a phase-conjugate beam was used to correct the beam distortion and enhance the communication performances when a system is subject to surface wave turbulence.The phase-conjugate beam was generated by a phase-conjugate mirror(PCM),and a turbulence generator was used to generate surface wave turbulence in the experiment.We calculated the beam centroid distribution and the results showed that the phase-conjugate beam had a better propagation performance than the distorted beam at the diferent water depths.The root mean square(RMS)of the beam centroid for the phase-conjugate beam was 11 times less than that for the distorted beam,which meant that the phase-conjugate beam could efectively correct the beam drift.We further investigated the scintillation index and the signal-to-noise ratio(SNR);the results showed that the phase-conjugate beam was able to reduce the scintillation and an obvious improvement in SNR could be obtained.This research has the potential to be applied in UWC.

OWC中DPPM调制解调技术研究

调制解调技术一直是光无线通信(OWC)领域中的研究热点之一。较之脉冲位置调制(PPM),差分脉冲位置调制(DPPM)是一种光功率利用率和带宽利用率都较高的调制方式。本文对PPM调制和DPPM调制进行了比较分析,提出了基于FPGA的DPPM调制解调系统的设计方案。硬件仿真结果表明,该系统性能稳定,可以应用到光无线通信系统中。

Air turbulence effects on performance of optical wireless communication with crosstalk in server backplane

Free space optical interconnections（FSOIs） are anticipated to become a prevalent technology for short-range high-speed communication. FSOIs use lasers in board-to-board and rack-to-rack communication to achieve improved performance in next generation servers and are expected to help meet the growing demand for massive amounts of inter-card data communication. An array of transmitters and receivers arranged to create an optical bus for inter-card and card-to-backplane communication could be the solution. However, both chip heating and cooling fans produce temperature gradients and hot air flow that results in air turbulence inside the server, which induces signal fading and, hence, influences the communication performance. In addition, the proximity between neighboring transmitters and receivers in the array leads to crosstalk in the received signal, which further contributes to signal degradation. In this Letter, the primary objective is to experimentally examine the off-axis crosstalk between links in the presence of turbulence inside a server chassis. The effects of geometrical and inter-chassis turbulence characteristics are investigated and first-and second-order statistics are derived.