Angle of Arrival Fluctuations for Optical Waves Propagating Through Joint Moderate to Strong Atmospheric Turbulence

Abstract

Satellite laser communication has gained wide attention both at home and abroad. The pointing, acquisition, and tracking (PAT) technology is the kernel of satellite laser communication systems, and the atmospheric layer is a part of the communication channel for satellite-to-ground links. Thus, angle of arrival (AOA) fluctuations caused by atmospheric turbulence inevitably influence long-distance satellite laser communication. Therefore, it is very important to analyze the impact of AOA fluctuations in satellite laser communication systems. According to the actual situation of satellite-to-ground links, a joint atmospheric turbulence power spectrum model is defined that includes Kolmogorov turbulence from the ground to 6 km in portions of the troposphere and non-Kolmogorov turbulence above 6 km in the stratosphere. Based on the extended Rytov theory, we derive the large-scale and small-scale variances of AOA fluctuations propagating in the uplink and downlink channels for a satellite laser communication system and analyze the influence of large zenith angle variations on the AOA fluctuations. It has long been a focus of concern that the expressions for the AOA variance obtained must be concise and of closed form.