Free-Space Optical Communications with Detector Arrays: A Mathematical Analysis

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Abstract

Photon counting detector arrays are commonly used for free-space optical communications in deep space. Such detector arrays - by virtue of their size - help in the collection of the optical signal even when there is some misalignment between the transmitter and receiver systems. In this paper, we argue that, for the common Gaussian beam profile, a detector array receiver is more useful for minimizing the probability of error than a single detector receiver of the same dimensions. Furthermore, the improvement in the error probability is more pronounced for low signal-to-noise ratio conditions, and the probability of error decreases monotonically as a function of the number of detectors in the array. However, communication with detector arrays results in a larger computational and hardware complexity at the receiver.

Original languageEnglish
Article number8853264
Pages (from-to)1420-1429
Number of pages10
JournalIEEE Transactions on Aerospace and Electronic Systems
Volume56
Issue number2
Early online date30 Sep 2019
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Apr 2020
Externally publishedYes

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