EARS: Enhancing Spectrum Efficiency of Autonomous and Agile Hybrid FSO/RF Systems

该项目的目标是基于前向纠错（FEC）编码、调制和交换方面的几种创新和敏捷技术，开发一种高带宽效率和自主的自由空间混合光学/射频（FSO/RF）系统。智力优势：智力优势在于开发了超快速、高实用、高频谱效率的双脉冲脉冲位置调制（D-PPM）的坚实结构；提出了一种新的迭代解码/解调方法，该方法可以有效地探索具有强大速率兼容FEC码的D-PPM，以实现自适应编码和调制；自主敏捷监控与切换技术的设计。该研究涉及理论、算法和仿真活动，将信息和通信、信号处理、网络和光学的各个方面结合到一个自主和敏捷的FSO/RF系统的内聚框架中。更广泛的影响：射频频谱是一种珍贵的商品，正迅速变得稀缺，而无线光通信是过度拥挤的射频频谱的有效替代方案。FSO提供了许多独特的优势，包括免许可访问高带宽，无干扰和电磁污染，高数据速率，高安全性，易于安装，拆卸和重新配置。通过后备射频提供载波级可用性，并通过有效的通信、信号处理和光学技术进一步提高其带宽/功率效率和稳健性，混合FSO/RF有潜力在广泛的垂直市场中提供应用，从金融到医疗保健、政府、军事、教育和企业连接。

The objective of this project is to develop a highlybandwidth-efficient and autonomous hybrid free-space optical/radiofrequency (FSO/RF) system based on several innovative and agiletechnologies in forward error correction (FEC) coding, modulation, andswitching.Intellectual Merit: The intellectual merit lies in the development ofa solid construction for super fast, highly practical, and highlyspectrum efficient dual-pulse pulse position modulation (D-PPM); theproposition of a novel iterative decoding/demodulation method that caneffectively explore D-PPM with powerful rate-compatible FEC codes toachieve adaptive coding and modulation; and the design of autonomousand agile monitoring and switching technologies. The research entailstheoretic, algorithmic, and simulation activities, that will combinethe various aspects of information and communication, signalprocessing, networking, and optics into a cohesive framework ofautonomous and agile FSO/RF systems.Broader Impacts: RF spectrum is a precious commodity that is rapidlybecoming scarce, and FSO presents an effective alternative to theovercrowding RF spectrum. FSO offers many unique advantages includingunlicensed access to high bandwidth, interference-free andelectromagnetic pollution-free, high data rates, high security, andeasiness to set-up, tear-down and re-configure. With the backup RF toprovide a carrier grade availability, and with effectivecommunication, signal-processing and optical technologies to furtherenhance its bandwidth-/power-efficiency and robustness, hybrid FSO/RFhas the potential to provide applications in a wide range of verticalmarkets, from finance to healthcare, government, military, education,and enterprise connectivity.