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Photonics
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Recent Advances in Optical Wireless Communication Systems and Networks
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Recent Advances in Optical Wireless Communication Systems and Networks

A special issue of Photonics (ISSN 2304-6732). This special issue belongs to the section "Optical Communication and Network".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2025 | Viewed by 8683

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Yang Hong

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Nokia Bell Labs, Paris-Saclay, 91620 Nozay, France
Interests: optical wireless communications; ultra-wideband optical fiber communications; hollow-core fiber transmission; advanced digital signal processing
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Jin Shi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Information Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, China
Interests: optical wireless communication; integrated sensing and communications; radio over fiber; optical real-time systems; advanced modulation formats; optical access network; optical camera communications
Dr. Zhouyi Hu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Electrical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
Interests: fiber-optic communications; free-space optical communications; optical networks; digital signal processing; physical-layer security
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Optical wireless communication (OWC) represents a promising solution for future high-speed wireless access. This has been stimulating a growing interest in a range of optical wireless communications technologies, including indoor OWC, underwater OWC, and optical wireless-based satellite communications.

While exciting and tremendous achievements have been reported in this research field in recent years, sustained efforts are still needed to address some remaining challenges. These include, for example, the bandwidth limitation (in particular, that of visible light communications) and networking for optical wireless systems, as well as the inherent vulnerability to environmental factors (e.g., atmosphere turbulence, fog, underwater air bubbles, etc.).

In this context, the purpose of this Special Issue is to report on the latest advances in optical wireless communications, aiming to provide an overview of the state of the art of this research field. We are pleased to invite you to submit your latest research findings to this Special Issue, which welcomes both original research articles and reviews. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

  • Free-space optical communications;
  • Optical wireless-based satellite communications;
  • High-speed optical wireless transmission demonstrations;
  • Underwater OWC;
  • Optical wireless-enabled intelligent transport systems;
  • Optical camera communications;
  • Visible light communications;
  • Simultaneous energy harvesting and OWC;
  • Optical wireless networks;
  • Advanced signal processing techniques for OWC;
  • Integrated sensing and communication in 6G;
  • Radio over fiber;
  • Multiple access techniques for optical wireless systems;
  • Optical and wireless network convergence and mobile x-haul;
  • Reconfigurable intelligent surfaces for OWC;
  • Optical channel models and characteristics.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Yang Hong
Dr. Jin Shi
Dr. Zhouyi Hu
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Photonics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • optical wireless communications
  • visible light communications
  • optical wireless networks
  • underwater optical wireless transmission
  • optical camera communications

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 1074 KiB  
Article
WDM-PON Free Space Optical (FSO) System Utilizing LDPC Decoding for Enhanced Cellular C-RAN Fronthaul Networks
by Dokhyl AlQahtani and Fady El-Nahal
Photonics 2025, 12(4), 391; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics12040391 - 17 Apr 2025
Viewed by 300
Abstract
Modern cellular systems rely on high-capacity and low-latency optical networks to meet ever-increasing data demands. Centralized Radio Access Network (C-RAN) architectures offer a cost-effective approach for deploying mobile infrastructures. In this work, we propose a flexible and cost-efficient fronthaul topology that combines Wavelength [...] Read more.
Modern cellular systems rely on high-capacity and low-latency optical networks to meet ever-increasing data demands. Centralized Radio Access Network (C-RAN) architectures offer a cost-effective approach for deploying mobile infrastructures. In this work, we propose a flexible and cost-efficient fronthaul topology that combines Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM) passive optical networks (PONs) with free-space optical (FSO) links. To enhance overall system performance, we introduce Low-Density Parity Check (LDPC) decoding, which provides robust error-correction capabilities against atmospheric turbulence and noise. Our system transmits 20 Gbps, 16-QAM intensity-modulated orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) signals, achieving a substantial reduction in bit error rate (BER). Numerical results show that the proposed WDM-PON-FSO architecture, augmented with LDPC decoding, maintains reliable transmission over 2 km under strong turbulence conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Optical Wireless Communication Systems and Networks)
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25 pages, 677 KiB  
Article
Performance Analysis of Buffer-Aided FSO Relaying with an Energy Harvesting Relay
by Chadi Abou-Rjeily
Photonics 2025, 12(1), 55; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics12010055 - 9 Jan 2025
Viewed by 537
Abstract
In this paper, we consider a three-node free space optical (FSO) decode-and-forward (DF) cooperative network. The relay is not connected to a permanent power supply and relies solely on the optical energy harvested (EH) from the source node. This energy is accumulated in [...] Read more.
In this paper, we consider a three-node free space optical (FSO) decode-and-forward (DF) cooperative network. The relay is not connected to a permanent power supply and relies solely on the optical energy harvested (EH) from the source node. This energy is accumulated in an energy buffer in order to enable the relay–destination communications. Moreover, buffer-aided (BA) relaying is considered where the relay is equipped with a data buffer for storing the incoming packets. For such networks, we propose a relaying protocol that delineates the roles of the source and the EH BA relay in each time slot. We develop a Markov chain framework for capturing the dynamics of the data and energy buffers. We derive the transition probabilities between the states of the Markov chain after discretizing the continuous-value energy buffer allowing for the evaluation of the analytical performance of the considered system. A numerical analysis is also presented over a turbulence-induced gamma–gamma fading channel highlighting the impacts of the data rate threshold levels, relay position, relay transmit power and propagation conditions on the achievable performance levels. Results validate the accuracy of the theoretical analysis and demonstrate significant reductions in the network outage, especially when the relay’s transmit level is appropriately selected. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Optical Wireless Communication Systems and Networks)
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19 pages, 1177 KiB  
Article
Joint Divergence Angle of Free Space Optics (FSO) Link and UAV Trajectory Design in FSO-Based UAV-Enabled Wireless Power Transfer Relay Systems
by Jinho Kang
Photonics 2024, 11(12), 1136; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics11121136 - 2 Dec 2024
Viewed by 1085
Abstract
Free Space Optics (FSO)-based UAV-enabled wireless power transfer (WPT) relay systems have emerged as a key technology for 6G networks, efficiently providing continuous power to Internet of Things (IoT) devices even in remote areas such as disaster recovery zones, maritime regions, and military [...] Read more.
Free Space Optics (FSO)-based UAV-enabled wireless power transfer (WPT) relay systems have emerged as a key technology for 6G networks, efficiently providing continuous power to Internet of Things (IoT) devices even in remote areas such as disaster recovery zones, maritime regions, and military networks, while addressing the limited battery capacity of UAVs through the FSO fronthaul link. However, the harvested power at the ground devices depends on the displacement and diameter of the FSO beam spot reaching the UAV, as well as the UAV trajectory, which affects both the FSO link and the radio-frequency (RF) link simultaneously. In this paper, we propose a joint design of the divergence angle in the FSO link and the UAV trajectory, in order to maximize the power transfer efficiency. Driven by the analysis of the optimal condition for the divergence angle, we develop a hybrid BS-PSO-based method to jointly optimize them while improving optimization performance. Numerical results demonstrate that the proposed method substantially increases power transfer efficiency and improves the optimization capability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Optical Wireless Communication Systems and Networks)
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19 pages, 4743 KiB  
Article
BDCOA: Wavefront Aberration Compensation Using Improved Swarm Intelligence for FSO Communication
by Suhas Shankarnahalli Krishnegowda, Arvind Kumar Ganesh, Parameshachari Bidare Divakarachari, Veena Yadav Shankarappa and Nijaguna Gollara Siddappa
Photonics 2024, 11(11), 1045; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics11111045 - 7 Nov 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 873
Abstract
Free Space Optical (FSO) communication is extensively utilized in the telecommunication industry for both ground and space wireless links, as well as last-mile applications, as a result of its lesser Bit Error Rate (BER), free spectrum, and easy relocation. However, atmospheric turbulence, also [...] Read more.
Free Space Optical (FSO) communication is extensively utilized in the telecommunication industry for both ground and space wireless links, as well as last-mile applications, as a result of its lesser Bit Error Rate (BER), free spectrum, and easy relocation. However, atmospheric turbulence, also known as Wavefront Aberration (WA), is considered a serious issue because it causes higher BER and affects coupling efficiency. In order to address this issue, a Sensor-Less Adaptive Optics (SLAO) system is developed for FSO to enhance performance. In this research, the compensation of WA in SLAO is obtained by proposing the Brownian motion and Directional mutation scheme-based Coati Optimization Algorithm, BDCOA. Here, the BDCOA is developed to search for an optimum control signal value of actuators in Deformable Mirror (DM). The incorporated Brownian motion and directional mutation are used to avoid the local optimum issue and enhance search space efficiency while searching for the control signal. Therefore, the dynamic control signal optimization for DM using BDCOA helps to enhance the coupling efficiency. Thus, the WAs are compensated for and optical signal concentration is enhanced in FSO. The metrics used for analyzing the BDCOA are Root Mean Square (RMS), BER, coupling efficiency, and Strehl Ratio (SR). The existing methods, such as Simulated Annealing (SA) and Stochastic Parallel Gradient Descent (SPGD), Advanced Multi-Feedback SPGD (AMFSPGD), and Oppositional-Breeding Artificial Fish Swarm (OBAFS), are used for evaluating the performance of BDCOA. The RMS of BDCOA for iterations 500 is 0.12, which is less than that of the SA-SPGD and OBAFS. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Optical Wireless Communication Systems and Networks)
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13 pages, 663 KiB  
Article
Joint Constellation and Reflectance Optimization for Tunable Intelligent Reflecting Surface-Aided VLC Systems
by Linqiong Jia, Qikai Wang and Yijin Zhang
Photonics 2024, 11(9), 840; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics11090840 - 5 Sep 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 834
Abstract
The intelligent reflecting surface (IRS) is an emerging technology that can conquer visible light communication’s (VLC) dependency on the line-of-sight (LoS) channel by offering additional non-light-of-sight (NLoS) communication links. In this paper, a newly proposed electro-tunable intelligent reflecting metasurface is deployed in dimmable [...] Read more.
The intelligent reflecting surface (IRS) is an emerging technology that can conquer visible light communication’s (VLC) dependency on the line-of-sight (LoS) channel by offering additional non-light-of-sight (NLoS) communication links. In this paper, a newly proposed electro-tunable intelligent reflecting metasurface is deployed in dimmable single-input single-output (SISO) VLC systems. We aim to improve the bit error rate (BER) performance by jointly optimizing the transmit constellation and the reflectance of the IRS units. To this end, the optimization problem can be solved in two steps. The minimum distance of the received constellation is firstly maximized by a convex problem, which guarantees the minimum BER. Then, the transmit constellation and the synchronously-tunable reflectance of the IRS units that correspond to the optimal received constellation are determined with an iterative alternate optimization algorithm. Finally, the simulation results show the BER performance improvement and the dimming relaxation benefit of the tunable IRS-aided SISO VLC systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Optical Wireless Communication Systems and Networks)
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18 pages, 24888 KiB  
Article
Miniaturized Multi-Platform Free-Space Laser-Communication Terminals for Beyond-5G Networks and Space Applications
by Alberto Carrasco-Casado, Koichi Shiratama, Dimitar Kolev, Fumie Ono, Hiroyuki Tsuji and Morio Toyoshima
Photonics 2024, 11(6), 545; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics11060545 - 7 Jun 2024
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3729
Abstract
Beyond-5G (B5G) technology plays a pivotal role in the next generation of communication infrastructure to support the future Society 5.0, a concept introduced in the 5th Basic Plan for Science and Technology by the Japanese Cabinet to define the long-term growth strategy for [...] Read more.
Beyond-5G (B5G) technology plays a pivotal role in the next generation of communication infrastructure to support the future Society 5.0, a concept introduced in the 5th Basic Plan for Science and Technology by the Japanese Cabinet to define the long-term growth strategy for reconciling economic development with the resolution of social issues through the promotion of science and technologies. Free-space laser communication is a key element in boosting the data transmission capabilities required for B5G applications. The NICT will complete in 2024 the first fully functional prototypes of a series of miniaturized laser-communication terminals for multiple platforms. These terminals are designed to adapt to a wide range of requirements to address scenarios where laser communications can offer a competitive, enhanced solution compared to existing technologies. This paper provides an overview of these terminals’ capabilities and the plans for their functional validation, as well as preliminary data from the first full-system tests. A number of innovations integrated into the terminals are introduced, such as the manufacture of the smallest miniaturized EDFA with integrated HPA and LNA and full space qualification to date, the first-ever integration of a beam-divergence control system in a practical communication terminal, the development of the most compact Tbit/s-class modem prototype documented in the literature, and the smallest gimbal design integrated in a lasercom terminal. Furthermore, this paper outlines the mid-term plans for demonstration in the most significant realistic scenarios, emphasizing the use of High-Altitude Platform Stations (HAPSs) and ultra-small satellites. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Optical Wireless Communication Systems and Networks)
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