Tesi etd-03282025-171838
Link copiato negli appunti
Tipo di tesi
Dottorato
Autore
SPIRITO, VERONICA
URN
etd-03282025-171838
Titolo
Advancing Optical Wireless Communications: from Near-Earth to Deep Space Communications and Aerospace Applications through Challenges and Solutions
Settore scientifico disciplinare
ING-INF/03
Corso di studi
Istituto di Tecnologie della Comunicazione, dell'Informazione e della Percezione - PHD IN EMERGING DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES
Commissione
relatore CIARAMELLA, ERNESTO
Presidente Prof. GALTAROSSA, ANDREA
Membro Prof. SACCHI, CLAUDIO
Tutor COSSU, GIULIO
Presidente Prof. GALTAROSSA, ANDREA
Membro Prof. SACCHI, CLAUDIO
Tutor COSSU, GIULIO
Parole chiave
- Free space optical communications
- laser communication
- satellite optical communications
- wavelength division multiplexing
- high throughout satellite
- channel modeling
- link analysis
- physical layer
- E2E system analysis
- link budget
Data inizio appello
28/11/2025;
Disponibilità
completa
Riassunto analitico
Space communications are rapidly transitioning from traditional Radio Frequency (RF) systems toward Free-Space Optical Communications (FSOC) driven by ever-increasing data throughput requirements. FSOC offers several advantages, including higher data rates, spectral efficiency, reduced latency, and enhanced security due to smaller beam divergence and operation in license-free optical frequencies. However, atmospheric turbulence, beam wander, scintillation, and pointing errors are significant challenges that necessitate sophisticated mitigation strategies, system modeling, and practical validation.
This thesis provides a comprehensive investigation of high-throughput Wavelength Division Multiplexing-based FSOC system design and optimization for near-Earth and deep-space scenarios. It integrates theoretical modeling and numerical simulations, which are cross-validated with published research (including experimental results) and consolidated theoretical references to offer enhanced credibility and applicability to the results obtained.
First, the research contextualizes FSOC within the evolution of Earth-Space Link communications, emphasizing its advantages over conventional RF technology. Through a comprehensive analysis, it critically establishes challenges arising from atmospheric turbulence, beam wander, and pointing errors, which are then accurately quantified. Key mitigation strategies such as Adaptive Optics (AO), modulation and coding schemes, and optimal telescope dimensioning are thoroughly evaluated. Furthermore, focusing on robust and detailed link budget analyses, advanced analytical methods and a composite channel model are introduced, combining deterministic and stochastic impairments to precisely characterize optical links under varying operational scenarios and atmospheric conditions, and hence modulation techniques and error-correction strategies.
An added value is also the MATLAB®-based channel emulator, created to rigorously verify FSOC performance. This emulator numerically validates theoretical predictions through detailed link budget analyses, facilitating practical system optimization. Two main scenarios are numerically analyzed in detail: high-capacity Earth-to-geostationary (GEO) feeder links, highlighting achievable throughput up to 1 Tbit/s under optimal conditions, and GEO-to-Moon inter-satellite links, demonstrating the reliability and scalability of proposed methodologies over very long distances, including those reaching deep-space.
Additionally, the thesis explores the integration of visible light communication (VLC) into aerospace systems, exemplified through the Integrated Optical metro-CommunicAtion Led-based System (SOCIALE) prototype, developed at TRL-4. SOCIALE seamlessly integrates VLC within a patented bifocal metrology (BM) system, enabling dual-use LED arrays for precise position and orientation measurement alongside digital data transmission. Experimental validation confirms the system’s effectiveness, minimal complexity, and reliability under realistic operational conditions.
In conclusion, the research outlined here provides a solid foundation for next-generation FSOC systems, significantly contributing to their advancement and practical deployment. Recommendations for future research include refined atmospheric modeling, further AO improvements, exploration of AI-assisted optimization, spatial diversity strategies, and enhanced standardization efforts, all aimed at ensuring robust and scalable global optical satellite communications.
This thesis provides a comprehensive investigation of high-throughput Wavelength Division Multiplexing-based FSOC system design and optimization for near-Earth and deep-space scenarios. It integrates theoretical modeling and numerical simulations, which are cross-validated with published research (including experimental results) and consolidated theoretical references to offer enhanced credibility and applicability to the results obtained.
First, the research contextualizes FSOC within the evolution of Earth-Space Link communications, emphasizing its advantages over conventional RF technology. Through a comprehensive analysis, it critically establishes challenges arising from atmospheric turbulence, beam wander, and pointing errors, which are then accurately quantified. Key mitigation strategies such as Adaptive Optics (AO), modulation and coding schemes, and optimal telescope dimensioning are thoroughly evaluated. Furthermore, focusing on robust and detailed link budget analyses, advanced analytical methods and a composite channel model are introduced, combining deterministic and stochastic impairments to precisely characterize optical links under varying operational scenarios and atmospheric conditions, and hence modulation techniques and error-correction strategies.
An added value is also the MATLAB®-based channel emulator, created to rigorously verify FSOC performance. This emulator numerically validates theoretical predictions through detailed link budget analyses, facilitating practical system optimization. Two main scenarios are numerically analyzed in detail: high-capacity Earth-to-geostationary (GEO) feeder links, highlighting achievable throughput up to 1 Tbit/s under optimal conditions, and GEO-to-Moon inter-satellite links, demonstrating the reliability and scalability of proposed methodologies over very long distances, including those reaching deep-space.
Additionally, the thesis explores the integration of visible light communication (VLC) into aerospace systems, exemplified through the Integrated Optical metro-CommunicAtion Led-based System (SOCIALE) prototype, developed at TRL-4. SOCIALE seamlessly integrates VLC within a patented bifocal metrology (BM) system, enabling dual-use LED arrays for precise position and orientation measurement alongside digital data transmission. Experimental validation confirms the system’s effectiveness, minimal complexity, and reliability under realistic operational conditions.
In conclusion, the research outlined here provides a solid foundation for next-generation FSOC systems, significantly contributing to their advancement and practical deployment. Recommendations for future research include refined atmospheric modeling, further AO improvements, exploration of AI-assisted optimization, spatial diversity strategies, and enhanced standardization efforts, all aimed at ensuring robust and scalable global optical satellite communications.
File
| Nome file | Dimensione |
|---|---|
| Spirito_...ision.pdf | 52.16 Mb |
Contatta l'autore |
|