Next-Generation Optical Wireless Communication: Emerging Research and Opportunities

A special issue of Electronics (ISSN 2079-9292). This special issue belongs to the section "Microwave and Wireless Communications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 January 2025 | Viewed by 2085

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
School of Telecommunications Engineering, Xidian University, Xi'an 710071, China
Interests: wireless communication; visible light communication; wireless channels
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Over the last few decades, research on optical wireless communication (OWC) has been ongoing due to its great potential in providing faster data rates, larger capacity, and higher reliability. Particularly, as a class of OWC, visible light communication (VLC) has been proposed as a promising technology for the high-speed wireless access of indoor short-distance users and indoor optical positioning. In addition to the above indoor scenarios, there are also free-space optical (FSO) systems for atmospheric and satellite communication and underwater optical wireless communication (UOWC) systems used for underwater data exchange. However, at present, there are still some existing problems which significantly restrict the development of OWC systems and should be further addressed in next-generation OWC, such as providing high-quality service for multiple users, enhancing compatibility with existing systems, improving robustness, adaptability, and the intelligence of systems, among other things.

The aim of the Special Issue of Electronics is to attract original and novel articles in the field of next-generation OWC. Authors are invited to submit manuscripts within the scope of the topics including, but are not limited to, the following areas:

  • Optical system structure design and performance analysis;
  • Optical network protocols and architectures;
  • Optical links reliability and security;
  • Free space optical wireless communication (terrestrial and satellite);
  • Underwater optical wireless communication;
  • Visible light communication (communication and optical positioning);
  • Sensing and optical wireless communication convergence;
  • Radio frequency/optical wireless communication hybrid systems and networks;
  • Novel materials and devices for next-generation optical wireless communication.

Prof. Dr. Ping Wang
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • next-generation optical wireless communication
  • free space optical wireless communication
  • underwater optical wireless communication
  • visible light communication
  • sensor network communications
  • convergence of optical and wireless access networks
  • optical networks reliability and security
  • novel protocols, architectures, materials, and devices for OWC systems

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 4834 KiB  
Article
Research on the Use of an Ocean Turbulence Bubble Simulation Model to Analyze Wireless Optical Transmission Characteristics
by Yunzhou Zhu, Huan Nie, Qian Liu, Yi Yang and Jianlei Zhang
Electronics 2024, 13(13), 2626; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics13132626 - 4 Jul 2024
Viewed by 491
Abstract
Turbulent vortices with uneven refractive indices and sizes affect the transmission quality of laser beams in seawater, diminishing the performance of underwater wireless optical communication systems. Currently, the phase screen simulation model constrains the range of turbulent vortex scales that can be analyzed, [...] Read more.
Turbulent vortices with uneven refractive indices and sizes affect the transmission quality of laser beams in seawater, diminishing the performance of underwater wireless optical communication systems. Currently, the phase screen simulation model constrains the range of turbulent vortex scales that can be analyzed, and the mutual restrictions of the phase screen parameters are not suitable for use on large-scale turbulent vortices. Referring to the formation process of turbulent vortices based on Kolmogorov’s turbulence structure energy theory, this study abstractly models the process and simulates the ocean turbulence effect as a spherical bubble with turbulent refractive index fluctuations using the Monte Carlo method, which is verified by fitting the probability distribution function of the received light intensity. The influence of the turbulence bubble model’s parameters on light intensity undulation and logarithmic intensity variance, as well as the relationship between logarithmic intensity variance and the equivalent structural constant, are then studied. An equivalent structural constant model of ocean turbulence represented by the bubble model’s parameters is established, which link the theoretical values with simulation values of the transmission characteristics. The simulation results show that the spherical bubble model’s simulation of ocean turbulence is effective and accurate; therefore, the model can provide an effective Monte Carlo simulation method for analyzing the impact of ocean turbulence channel parameters of the large-scale turbulent vortices on wireless underwater optical transmission characteristics. Full article
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18 pages, 3567 KiB  
Article
Analysis and Mitigating Methods for Jamming in the Optical Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces-Assisted Dual-Hop FSO Communication Systems
by Jingyu Wang, Dingshan Gao, Juan Li, Linhe Huang, Haiyang Ding and Shaohua Zhou
Electronics 2024, 13(9), 1730; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics13091730 - 30 Apr 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 590
Abstract
In this paper, we present a study investigating the impact of jamming in a Dual-Hop free-space optical (FSO) communication system assisted by reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS) in the presence of a malicious jammer. We analyze the combined effects of atmospheric turbulence (AT), pointing [...] Read more.
In this paper, we present a study investigating the impact of jamming in a Dual-Hop free-space optical (FSO) communication system assisted by reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS) in the presence of a malicious jammer. We analyze the combined effects of atmospheric turbulence (AT), pointing error (PE), and angle of arrival (AoA) fluctuation of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Closed-form expressions for the overall average bit error rate (ABER) are derived while considering these impairments. To mitigate the jamming effect, we explore a Single-Input Multiple-Output (SIMO) FSO system and derive the end-to-end Average Bit Error Rate (ABER) under various jamming scenarios. Additionally, we conduct a comprehensive study by examining different placements of the malicious UAV jammer and RIS, drawing insightful conclusions on system performance. The analytically derived expressions are validated through Monte Carlo simulations. Full article
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14 pages, 10783 KiB  
Article
Three-Dimensional Ray-Tracing-Based Propagation Prediction Model for Macrocellular Environment at Sub-6 GHz Frequencies
by Zhongyu Liu, Pengcheng Zhao, Lixin Guo, Zuoyong Nan, Zhigang Zhong and Jiangting Li
Electronics 2024, 13(8), 1451; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics13081451 - 11 Apr 2024
Viewed by 604
Abstract
This paper presents a 3D ray-tracing model using geometrical optics and the uniform theory of diffraction in radio channel characterizations of macrocellular environments. On the basis of the environmental information obtained from a digitized map, the model is effectively applied. A technique considering [...] Read more.
This paper presents a 3D ray-tracing model using geometrical optics and the uniform theory of diffraction in radio channel characterizations of macrocellular environments. On the basis of the environmental information obtained from a digitized map, the model is effectively applied. A technique considering multiple reflections and diffractions through the ray path classification is utilized in this model. Ray paths belonging to each ray category are determined using different methods. The proposed model is justified (the prediction accuracy of the model is better than 6.5 dB) with measurement data for the two scenarios and can provide reliable theory as a basis for radio wave propagation prediction and network planning in urban macrocellular environments. Full article
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