IHCS: Multiplexing, Modulation, Coding and Detection Technologies Enabling Hybrid RF-Optical and Microwave-Optical Communications

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Intellectual Merit: University of Arizona proposes a multidisciplinary research program addressing an important technological challenge: the incompatibility of RF and optical communication technologies due to the large bandwidth mismatch. Another important outcome is development of novel modulation and coding techniques enabling reliable communication under strong atmospheric turbulence. The specific goals of the proposed research program include: (i) Development of efficient interfaces to enable the hybrid RF-free-space optical transmission including orthogonal frequency division multiplexing and multilevel pulse-position modulation; (ii) Development of efficient modulation techniques capable of operating under strong atmospheric turbulence, including the multi-laser-multi-detector concept; (iii) Development of efficient coding techniques, such as low-density parity-check codes, to improve the reliability of the free-space optical system; (iv) Development of refined system models and channel capacity studies to assess the ultimate performance limits; and (v) Experimental validation of the proposed methods. Broader Impact: By combining the theoretical expertise in coding, modulation, and free-space optical communications, with the numerical-modeling expertise and state-of-the-art experimental infrastructure, the Principal Investigators are in a unique position to develop a new generation of hybrid RF-free-space optical systems, contributing therefore, significantly to the evolution of optical network technologies and the information infrastructure in the United States and abroad. The interdisciplinary nature of the project (i.e., combining optical physics, optical device technologies, and communication/coding theory and practice) is expected to foster cross-disciplinary education, and to create new opportunities for students to obtain industry internships and therefore enhance collaboration between the University and industry. The main educational objectives include: (i) establishing a graduate seminar for dissemination of new information on free-space optical communications, (ii) developing a new graduate course entitled ?Free-Space Optical Communications,? (iii) incorporating iterative decoding techniques into the Digital Communications Systems course-sequence, and (iv) publishing a chapter or a monograph on modulation and coding for optical communications.