Beam wander prediction with recurrent neural networks.

Among the problems that prevent free-space optical communication systems from becoming a truly mainstream technology is beam wander, which is especially important for structured light beams since beam misalignment introduces additional crosstalk at the receiver. The paper suggests a recurrent neural network-based (RNN) solution to predict beam wander in free space optics (FSO). The approach uses past beam center of mass positions to predict future movement, significantly outperforming various prediction types. The proposed approach is demonstrated using under-sampled experimental data over a 260 m link as a worst-case and over-sampled simulated data as a best-case scenario. In addition to conventional Gaussian beams, Hermite- and Laguerre-Gaussian beam wander is also investigated. With a 20 to 40% improvement in error over naive and linear predictions, while predicting multiple samples ahead in typical situations and overall matching or outperforming considered predictions across all studied scenarios, this method could help mitigate turbulence-induced fading and has potential applications in intelligent re-transmits, quality of service, optimized error correction, maximum likelihood-type algorithms, and predictive adaptive optics.

Self-powered weather station for remote areas and difficult-access locations.

Monitoring climate change can be accomplished by deploying Internet of Things (IoT) sensor devices to collect data on various climate variables. Providing continuous power or replacing batteries for these devices is not always available, particularly in difficult-access locations and harsh environments. Here, we propose a design for a self-powered weather station that can harvest energy, decode information using solar cells, and is controlled by a programmable system-on-chip. A series of experimental demonstrations have shown the versatility of the proposed design to operate autonomously.

Efficient channel modeling of structured light in turbulence using generative adversarial networks.

We present a fast and efficient simulation method of structured light free space optics (FSO) channel effects from propagation through a turbulent atmosphere. In a system that makes use of multiple higher order modes (structured light), turbulence causes crosstalk between modes. This crosstalk can be described by a channel matrix, which usually requires a complete physical simulation or an experiment. Current simulation techniques based on the phase-screen approximation method are very computationally intensive and are limited by the accuracy of the underlying models. In this work, we propose to circumvent these limitations by using a data-driven approach for the decomposition matrix simulation with a conditional generative adversarial network (CGAN) synthetic simulator.

Wide-field-of-view optical detectors using fused fiber-optic tapers.

Photodetectors used in wireless applications suffer from a trade-off between their response speeds and their active areas, which limits the received signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Conventional light-focusing elements used to improve the SNR narrow the field of view (FOV). Herein, we demonstrate a versatile imaging light-focusing element featuring a wide FOV and high optical gain using fused fiber-optic tapers. To verify the practicality of the proposed design, we demonstrated and tested a wide-FOV optical detector for optical wireless communication that can be used for wavelengths ranging from the visible-light band to the near infrared. The proposed detector offers improvements over luminescent wide-FOV detectors, including higher efficiency, a broader modulation bandwidth, and indefinite stability.

Identifying structured light modes in a desert environment using machine learning algorithms.

The unique orthogonal shapes of structured light beams have attracted researchers to use as information carriers. Structured light-based free space optical communication is subject to atmospheric propagation effects such as rain, fog, and rain, which complicate the mode demultiplexing process using conventional technology. In this context, we experimentally investigate the detection of Laguerre Gaussian and Hermite Gaussian beams under dust storm conditions using machine learning algorithms. Different algorithms are employed to detect various structured light encoding schemes including the use of a convolutional neural network (CNN), support vector machine, and k-nearest neighbor. We report an identification accuracy of 99% under a visibility level of 9 m. The CNN approach is further used to estimate the visibility range of a dusty communication channel.

Ultraviolet-to-blue color-converting scintillating-fibers photoreceiver for 375-nm laser-based underwater wireless optical communication.

Underwater wireless optical communication (UWOC) can offer reliable and secure connectivity for enabling future internet-of-underwater-things (IoUT), owing to its unlicensed spectrum and high transmission speed. However, a critical bottleneck lies in the strict requirement of pointing, acquisition, and tracking (PAT), for effective recovery of modulated optical signals at the receiver end. A large-area, high bandwidth, and wide-angle-of-view photoreceiver is therefore crucial for establishing a high-speed yet reliable communication link under non-directional pointing in a turbulent underwater environment. In this work, we demonstrated a large-area, of up to a few tens of cm2, photoreceiver design based on ultraviolet(UV)-to-blue color-converting plastic scintillating fibers, and yet offering high 3-dB bandwidth of up to 86.13 MHz. Tapping on the large modulation bandwidth, we demonstrated a high data rate of 250 Mbps at bit-error ratio (BER) of 2.2 × 10-3 using non-return-to-zero on-off keying (NRZ-OOK) pseudorandom binary sequence (PRBS) 210-1 data stream, a 375-nm laser-based communication link over the 1.15-m water channel. This proof-of-concept demonstration opens the pathway for revolutionizing the photodetection scheme in UWOC, and for non-line-of-sight (NLOS) free-space optical communication.

Primary User Localization and Its Error Analysis in 5G Cognitive Radio Networks.

It is crucial to estimate the location of primary users (PUs) for the development of cognitive radio networks (CRNs). Great efforts have been made in the past to develop localization algorithms with better accuracy but low computation. In CRNs, PUs do not cooperate with secondary users (SUs), which makes the localization task challenging. Due to this feature, received signal strength (RSS)-based PU localization techniques, such as centroid localization (CL) and multidimensional scaling (MDS), are the best candidates. However, most of the CL- and MDS-based PU localization methods consider omnidirectional wireless communication. Therefore, in this paper we propose a PU localization method which uses the RSS values at different sectors of the SU antenna, where a scoring strategy is applied to all the sectors to estimate the PU location. Two different scoring functions are proposed. Numerical results show that the proposed localization method is robust to PU locations and channel conditions. The proposed method is validated in terms of various network parameters, such as the number of SUs, beamwidth of the SU sectors, size of the grid, and placement of the PUs. Results show that increasing the number of SUs improve the localization accuracy due to an increased number of measurements. However, the localization accuracy degrades with an increase in the beamwidth of the SU sector because the faraway grid points also participate in the localization. The results are also compared with the conventional CL for PU localization. Compared with conventional CL, it offers a significant improvement in the performance.

3.2 Gigabit-per-second Visible Light Communication Link with InGaN/GaN MQW Micro-photodetector.

This paper presents the first demonstration of InGaN multiple quantum well (MQW) based micro-photodetectors (µPD) used as the optical receiver in orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) modulated visible communication system (VLC). The 80-µm diameter µPD exhibits a wavelength-selective responsivity in the near-UV to violet regime (374 nm - 408 nm) under a low reverse bias of -3 V. The modulation scheme of 16-quadrature amplitude modulation (16-QAM) OFDM enables the use of frequency response beyond -3 dB cutoff bandwidth of µPD. A record high data rate of 3.2 Gigabit per second (Gpbs) was achieved as a result, which provides the proof-of-concept verification of a viable high speed VLC link.

Free-space optical channel characterization and experimental validation in a coastal environment.

Over the years, free-space optical (FSO) communication has attracted considerable research interest owing to its high transmission rates via the unbounded and unlicensed bandwidths. Nevertheless, various weather conditions lead to significant deterioration of the FSO link capabilities. In this context, we report on the modelling of the channel attenuation coefficient (ß) for a coastal environment and related ambient, considering the effect of coastal air temperature (T), relative humidity (RH) and dew point (TD) by employing a mobile FSO communication system capable of achieving a transmission rate of 1 Gbps at an outdoor distance of 70 m for optical beam wavelengths of 1310 nm and 1550 nm. For further validation of the proposed models, an indoor measurement over a 1.5 m distance utilizing 1310 nm, 1550 nm, and 1064 nm lasers was also performed. The first model provides a general link between T and ß, while the second model provides a relation between ß, RH as well as TD. By validating our attenuation coefficient model with actual outdoor and indoor experiments, we obtained a scaling parameter x and decaying parameter c values of 19.94, 40.02, 45.82 and 0.03015, 0.04096, 0.0428 for wavelengths of 1550, 1310, 1064 nm, respectively. The proposed models are well validated over the large variation of temperature and humidity over the FSO link in a coastal region and emulated indoor environment.

375-nm ultraviolet-laser based non-line-of-sight underwater optical communication.

For circumventing the alignment requirement of line-of-sight (LOS) underwater wireless optical communication (UWOC), we demonstrated a non-line-of-sight (NLOS) UWOC link adequately enhanced using ultraviolet (UV) 375-nm laser. Path loss was chosen as a figure-of-merit for link performance in this investigation, which considers the effects of geometries, water turbidity, and transmission wavelength. The experiments suggest that path loss decreases with smaller azimuth angles, higher water turbidity, and shorter wavelength due in part to enhanced scattering utilizing 375-nm radiation. We highlighted that it is feasible to extend the current findings for long distance NLOS UWOC link in turbid water, such as harbor water.

71-Mbit/s ultraviolet-B LED communication link based on 8-QAM-OFDM modulation.

A demonstration of ultraviolet-B (UVB) communication link is implemented utilizing quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM). The demonstration is based on a 294-nm UVB-light-emitting-diode (UVB-LED) with a full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) of 9 nm and light output power of 190 µW, at 7 V, with a special silica gel lens on top of it. A -3-dB bandwidth of 29 MHz was measured and a high-speed near-solar-blind communication link with a data rate of 71 Mbit/s was achieved using 8-QAM-OFDM at perfect alignment. 23.6 Mbit/s using 2-QAM-OFDM when the angle subtended by the pointing directions of the UVB-LED and photodetector (PD) is 12 degrees, thus establishing a diffuse-line-of-sight (LOS) link. The measured bit-error rate (BER) of 2.8 ×10-4 and 2.4 ×10-4, respectively, are well below the forward error correction (FEC) criterion of 3.8 ×10-3. The demonstrated high data-rate OFDM-based UVB communication link paves the way for realizing high-speed non-line-of-sight free-space optical communications.

Simple statistical channel model for weak temperature-induced turbulence in underwater wireless optical communication systems.

In this Letter, we use laser beam intensity fluctuation measurements to model and describe the statistical properties of weak temperature-induced turbulence in underwater wireless optical communication (UWOC) channels. UWOC channels with temperature gradients are modeled by the generalized gamma distribution (GGD) with an excellent goodness of fit to the measured data under all channel conditions. Meanwhile, thermally uniform channels are perfectly described by the simple gamma distribution which is a special case of GGD. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first model that comprehensively describes both thermally uniform and gradient-based UWOC channels.

Energy Harvesting Hybrid Acoustic-Optical Underwater Wireless Sensor Networks Localization.

Underwater wireless technologies demand to transmit at higher data rate for ocean exploration. Currently, large coverage is achieved by acoustic sensor networks with low data rate, high cost, high latency, high power consumption, and negative impact on marine mammals. Meanwhile, optical communication for underwater networks has the advantage of the higher data rate albeit for limited communication distances. Moreover, energy consumption is another major problem for underwater sensor networks, due to limited battery power and difficulty in replacing or recharging the battery of a sensor node. The ultimate solution to this problem is to add energy harvesting capability to the acoustic-optical sensor nodes. Localization of underwater sensor networks is of utmost importance because the data collected from underwater sensor nodes is useful only if the location of the nodes is known. Therefore, a novel localization technique for energy harvesting hybrid acoustic-optical underwater wireless sensor networks (AO-UWSNs) is proposed. AO-UWSN employs optical communication for higher data rate at a short transmission distance and employs acoustic communication for low data rate and long transmission distance. A hybrid received signal strength (RSS) based localization technique is proposed to localize the nodes in AO-UWSNs. The proposed technique combines the noisy RSS based measurements from acoustic communication and optical communication and estimates the final locations of acoustic-optical sensor nodes. A weighted multiple observations paradigm is proposed for hybrid estimated distances to suppress the noisy observations and give more importance to the accurate observations. Furthermore, the closed form solution for Cramer-Rao lower bound (CRLB) is derived for localization accuracy of the proposed technique.

20-meter underwater wireless optical communication link with 1.5 Gbps data rate.

The video streaming, data transmission, and remote control in underwater call for high speed (Gbps) communication link with a long channel length (~10 meters). We present a compact and low power consumption underwater wireless optical communication (UWOC) system utilizing a 450-nm laser diode (LD) and a Si avalanche photodetector. With the LD operating at a driving current of 80 mA with an optical power of 51.3 mW, we demonstrated a high-speed UWOC link offering a data rate up to 2 Gbps over a 12-meter-long, and 1.5 Gbps over a record 20-meter-long underwater channel. The measured bit-error rate (BER) are 2.8 × 10-5, and 3.0 × 10-3, respectively, which pass well the forward error correction (FEC) criterion.

2.3 Gbit/s underwater wireless optical communications using directly modulated 520 nm laser diode.

We experimentally demonstrate a record high-speed underwater wireless optical communication (UWOC) over 7 m distance using on-off keying non-return-to-zero (OOK-NRZ) modulation scheme. The communication link uses a commercial TO-9 packaged pigtailed 520 nm laser diode (LD) with 1.2 GHz bandwidth as the optical transmitter and an avalanche photodiode (APD) module as the receiver. At 2.3 Gbit/s transmission, the measured bit error rate of the received data is 2.23×10(-4), well below the forward error correction (FEC) threshold of 2×10(-3) required for error-free operation. The high bandwidth of the LD coupled with high sensitivity APD and optimized operating conditions is the key enabling factor in obtaining high bit rate transmission in our proposed system. To the best of our knowledge, this result presents the highest data rate ever achieved in UWOC systems thus far.

4.8 Gbit/s 16-QAM-OFDM transmission based on compact 450-nm laser for underwater wireless optical communication.

We experimentally demonstrate an underwater wireless optical communications (UWOC) employing 450-nm TO-9 packaged and fiber-pigtailed laser diode (LD) directly encoded with an orthogonal frequency division multiplexed quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM-OFDM) data. A record data rate of up to 4.8 Gbit/s over 5.4-m transmission distance is achieved. By encoding the full 1.2-GHz bandwidth of the 450-nm LD with a 16-QAM-OFDM data, an error vector magnitude (EVM) of 16.5%, a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of 15.63 dB and a bit error rate (BER) of 2.6 × 10(-3), well pass the forward error correction (FEC) criterion, were obtained.

4-Gbit/s visible light communication link based on 16-QAM OFDM transmission over remote phosphor-film converted white light by using blue laser diode.

Visible Light Communication (VLC) as a new technology for ultrahigh-speed communication is still limited when using slow modulation light-emitting diode (LED). Alternatively, we present a 4-Gbit/s VLC system using coherent blue-laser diode (LD) via 16-quadrature amplitude modulation orthogonal frequency division multiplexing. By changing the composition and the optical-configuration of a remote phosphor-film the generated white light is tuned from cool day to neutral, and the bit error rate is optimized from 1.9 × 10(-2) to 2.8 × 10(-5) in a blue filter-free link due to enhanced blue light transmission in forward direction. Briefly, blue-LD is an alternative to LED for generating white light and boosting the data rate of VLC.

Dynamic charging as a complementary approach in modern EV charging infrastructure.

Whether the future of transportation is going to be electric or not is no longer a question. Electric vehicles (EVs) offer several benefits toward global sustainability. However, without a variety of charging infrastructures that cover diverse forthcoming charging needs, the speed of vehicle electrification may be slow and limited. In this study, we investigate the synergistic benefits of traditional charging stations and an emerging alternative, i.e., wireless dynamic charging roads, focusing on their impact on the daily commute of EV users. We center our evaluation on quantifiable metrics, chiefly time and convenience, and deploy computer simulations utilizing authentic transportation datasets from New York City, USA. Our findings underscore that integrating both charging stations and charging roads can substantially alleviate detours for EV users and remarkably reduce additional charging time. Our research provides evidence to encourage researchers, EV manufacturers, urban infrastructure planners, and policymakers to explore future charging infrastructures for EVs, with a notable emphasis on wireless dynamic charging roads.

Impact of Evanescence Process on Three-Dimensional Sub-Diffusion-Based Molecular Communication Channel.

In most of the existing works of molecular communication (MC), the standard diffusion environment is taken into account where the mean square displacement (MSD) of an information molecule (IM) scales linearly with time. On the contrary, this work considers the sub-diffusion motion that appears in crowded and complex (porous or fractal) environments (movement of the particles in the living cells) where the particle's MSD scales as a fractional order power law in time. Moreover, we examine an additional evanescence process resulting from which the molecules can degrade before hitting the boundary of the receiver (RX). Thus, in this work, we present a 3D MC system with a point transmitter (TX) and the spherical RX with the sub-diffusive behavior of an IM along with its evanescence. Furthermore, an IM's closed-form expressions for the arrival probability and the first passage time density (FPTD) are emulated in the above context. Additionally, we investigate the performance of MC by using the concentration-based modulation technique in a sub-diffusion channel. Finally, the considered MC channel is exploited in terms of the probability of detection, probability of false alarm, and probability of error for different parameters such as the reaction rate, fractional power, and radius of the RX.

Body-Centric Terahertz Networks: Prospects and Challenges.

Following recent advancements in Terahertz (THz) technology, THz communications are currently being celebrated as key enablers for various applications in future generations of communication networks. While typical communication use cases are over medium-range air interfaces, the inherently small beamwidths and transceiver footprints at THz frequencies support nano-communication paradigms. In particular, the use of the THz band for in-body and on-body communications has been gaining attention recently. By exploiting the accurate THz sensing and imaging capabilities, body-centric THz biomedical applications can transcend the limitations of molecular, acoustic, and radio-frequency solutions. In this paper, we study the use of the THz band for body-centric networks, by surveying works on THz device technologies, channel and noise modeling, modulation schemes, and networking topologies. We also promote THz sensing and imaging applications in the healthcare sector, especially for detecting zootonic viruses such as Coronavirus. We present several open research problems for body-centric THz networks.