Design And Analysis Of Optical Communication Links

To convey to prospective designers intuitive understanding based on unique characteristics of optical communication systems, report presents method of design and analysis of outer-space optical communication link using pulse-position modulation (PPM) and in which received signal sufficiently weak to require detection by photomultiplier operating in photon-counting mode. Step 1 requires some knowledge or assumptions about parameters of transmitter and receiver. Step 2 determination of average number of background-noise photons detected during PPM timeslot. Step 3 average number, Ps of signal photons detected per signal pulse compared with average number, Pn of noise pulses detected per PPM timeslot.