Free Space Optical Communications — Theory and Practices

FSO is a line-of-sight technology that uses lasers to provide optical bandwidth connections or FSO is an optical communication technique that propagate the light in free space means air, outer space, vacuum, or something similar to wirelessly transmit data for telecommunication and computer networking. Currently, FSO is capable of up to 2.5 Gbps [1] of data, voice and video communications through the air, allowing optical connectivity without requiring fiberoptic cable or securing spectrum licenses. Operate between the 780 – 1600 nm wavelengths bands and use O/E and E/O converters. FSO requires light, which can be focused by using either light emitting diodes (LEDs) or lasers (light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation). The use of lasers is a simple concept similar to optical transmissions using fiberoptic cables; the only difference is the transmission media. Light travels through air faster than it does through glass, so it is fair to classify FSO as optical communications at the speed of the light. FSO communication is considered as an alternative to radio relay link line-of sight (LOS) communication systems. This chapter is concentrate on ground-to-ground free-space laser communications. FSO components are contain three stages: transmitter to send of optical radiation through the atmosphere obeys the Beer-Lamberts`s law, free space transmission channel where exist the turbulent eddies (cloud, rain, smoke, gases, temperature variations, fog and aerosol) and receiver to process the received signal. Typical links are between 300 m and 5 km, although longer distances can be deployed such as 8–11 km are possible depending

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