Open AccessDead time effects in non-line-of-sight ultraviolet communications
Author(s) -
Robert Drost,
Brian M. Sadler,
Gang Chen
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
optics express
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.394
H-Index - 271
ISSN - 1094-4087
DOI - 10.1364/oe.23.015748
Subject(s) - non line of sight propagation , dead time , optics , photon counting , ultraviolet , computer science , photon , channel (broadcasting) , communications system , line of sight , line (geometry) , extreme ultraviolet , free space optical communication , optical communication , molecular communication , depth sounding , physics , remote sensing , telecommunications , transmitter , wireless , laser , geometry , mathematics , cartography , quantum mechanics , geology , astrophysics , geography
By exploiting unique properties of the atmospheric propagation of radiation in the deep-ultraviolet band (200-300 nm), ultraviolet communications (UVC) offers the novel possibility of establishing non-line-of-sight (NLOS) optical links. UVC systems often employ photon-counting receivers, which may exhibit nonideal behavior owing to dead time, a period of time after the detection of a photon during which such a receiver is unable to detect subsequently impinging photons. In this paper, we extend a NLOS UVC channel model to account for dead time and then use this extended model to study the effects of dead time in representative system scenarios. Experimentally collected channel-sounding data is then used for model validation and real-world illustration of these effects. Finally, we investigate the effect of dead time on communication performance. The results demonstrate that dead time can have a significant impact in practical communication scenarios and suggest the usefulness of the proposed modeling framework in developing receiver designs that compensate for dead time effects.