Underwater Wireless Optical Communication, Sensor and Network

A special issue of Photonics (ISSN 2304-6732).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 May 2023) | Viewed by 10765

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Shenzhen Institute of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics for Society (AIRS), The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), Shenzhen 518172, China
Interests: optical phased arrays (OPA); optical wireless communication (OWC); underwater wireless optical communication (UWOC); LiDAR; optical sensor; robotics
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Xi'an Institute of Optics and Precision Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an, China
Interests: satellite laser communication; space optical switching; space optical network; underwater optical communication
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School of Software, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116621, China
Interests: underwater optical communication; underwater positioning; underwater wireless sensor network
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

More than 70% of the Earth’s surface is covered with water (almost all of which is the ocean). Underwater wireless optical communication (UWOC) is of great significance for the development of ocean resources and ocean environmental protection, due to its advantages of having a large capacity and low latency. There is a growing interest in the research and development of UWOC, underwater sensors and UWOC networks.

This Special Issue tries to collect the recent advances in UWOC, underwater sensors and UWOC networks. Because of the highly dynamic changes in UWOC links, there are urgent requirements for the development of transmitters, receivers, acquisition-tracking-pointing and digital signal processing for UWOC. Additionally, new technologies for oceanic turbulence mitigation, underwater ranging and communication security are also needed. Protocols and architectures for UWOC networks have been actively developed in recent years.

Topics of interest for this Special Issue include, but are not limited to, the following:

  1. Underwater wireless communication technology:
  • Underwater wireless optical communication (UWOC);
  • Digital signal processing for UWOC;
  • Hybrid UWOC/acoustic technology;
  • Orbital angular momentum for underwater communication;
  • Oceanic turbulence modeling and simulation;
  • Scattering and oceanic turbulence mitigation techniques.
  1. Underwater sensing technology:
  • Underwater laser ranging and detection (LiDAR);
  • Hybrid UWOC/detection technology;
  • Underwater pointing, acquisition and tracking (PAT);
  • Underwater optical imaging techniques;
  • Underwater sensing technology, including sensor design, sensing algorithms, data mining, data fusion and dissemination.
  1. Underwater wireless network:
  • UWOC networks;
  • Underwater wireless networks, including networking theories, protocol designs, architecture and switching and routing technology;
  • Underwater wireless sensor networks;
  • Underwater robotics, including autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), underwater remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROVs), underwater unmanned vehicles (UUVs) and manned submersibles.
  1. Underwater energy management and security:
  • Underwater energy management;
  • Security and privacy issues for underwater communications;
  • Edge computing for underwater systems;
  • Quantum-key distribution techniques.

Prof. Dr. Caiming Sun
Dr. Wei Wang
Dr. Chi Lin
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • underwater communication
  • underwater wireless optical communication
  • underwater wireless sensor
  • underwater wireless network
  • underwater laser ranging and detection
  • optical wireless communication

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 1791 KiB  
Communication
Error Characterization of Differential Detection and Non-Differential Detection for MIMO UWOC Systems in Seawater Turbulent Channels
by Tong Wang, Xiaonan Yu, Baiqiu Zhao and Diyue Pang
Photonics 2023, 10(8), 859; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics10080859 - 25 Jul 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1060
Abstract
Ocean turbulence is an important factor affecting the development of underwater wireless optical communication (UWOC). To improve the error characteristics of the underwater optical communication system, we propose a differential detection-based multi-receiver-multi-transmitter (MIMO) underwater laser communication transmission method. Additionally, we derive the expressions [...] Read more.
Ocean turbulence is an important factor affecting the development of underwater wireless optical communication (UWOC). To improve the error characteristics of the underwater optical communication system, we propose a differential detection-based multi-receiver-multi-transmitter (MIMO) underwater laser communication transmission method. Additionally, we derive the expressions for calculating the average BER of the MIMO underwater wireless optical communication system with differential detection and non-differential detection in the case that the two transmitted beams are completely uncorrelated. The error characteristics of the MIMO system are simulated and analyzed from the perspective of ocean turbulence intensity and link distance. The simulation results show that the differential detection method has a lower average BER compared to the non-differential detection method in the case of moderate-to-strong ocean turbulence. In addition, the differential detection methods do not have the error floor effect, and non-differential detection methods have the error floor effect. The more the turbulence intensity affects the average BER of the MIMO UWOC system with the increase of the communication link distance, the more obvious is the effect of the turbulence intensity on the average BER of the MIMO UWOC system. Accordingly, the simulation analysis shows that the differential detection method is more suitable for the construction of communication links under long-distance and medium-strong turbulence. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Underwater Wireless Optical Communication, Sensor and Network)
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15 pages, 4838 KiB  
Article
Investigation of Oceanic Turbulence Random Phase Screen Generation Methods for UWOC
by Ruixian Jiang, Kexin Wang, Xinke Tang and Xu Wang
Photonics 2023, 10(7), 832; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics10070832 - 18 Jul 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2070
Abstract
Underwater wireless optical communication (UWOC) has recently gained great research interest due to its capability of transmitting data underwater with high data rate and low latency. However, oceanic turbulence seriously degrades the optical signal quality and hence the performance of practical UWOC systems. [...] Read more.
Underwater wireless optical communication (UWOC) has recently gained great research interest due to its capability of transmitting data underwater with high data rate and low latency. However, oceanic turbulence seriously degrades the optical signal quality and hence the performance of practical UWOC systems. Establishing more accurate and efficient phase screen models is in demand for studying the oceanic turbulence effect. In this paper, techniques for generating underwater random phase screens are studied and supplemented. A promising hybrid method combining sparse spectrum and Zernike polynomials methods is proposed and investigated, which generates phase screens with improved accuracy and efficiency. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Underwater Wireless Optical Communication, Sensor and Network)
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15 pages, 3236 KiB  
Article
A Deep Echo State Network-Based Novel Signal Processing Approach for Underwater Wireless Optical Communication System with PAM and OFDM Signals
by Kexin Wang, Yihong Gao, Mauro Dragone, Yvan Petillot and Xu Wang
Photonics 2023, 10(7), 763; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics10070763 - 2 Jul 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1407
Abstract
Underwater wireless optical communication (UWOC) plays key role in the underwater wireless sensor networks (UWSNs), which have been widely employed for both scientific and commercial applications. UWOC offers high transmission data rates, high security, and low latency communication between nodes in UWSNs. However, [...] Read more.
Underwater wireless optical communication (UWOC) plays key role in the underwater wireless sensor networks (UWSNs), which have been widely employed for both scientific and commercial applications. UWOC offers high transmission data rates, high security, and low latency communication between nodes in UWSNs. However, significant absorption and scattering loss in underwater channels, due to ocean water conditions, can introduce highly non-linear distortion in the received signals, which can severely deteriorate communication quality. Consequently, addressing the challenge of processing UWOC signals with low optical signal-to-noise ratios (OSNRs) is critical for UWOC systems. Increasing the transmitting optical power and investigating more advanced signal processing technologies to recover transmitted symbols are two primary approaches to improve system tolerance in noisy UWOC signal channels. In this paper, we propose and demonstrate the application of deep echo state networks (DeepESNs) for channel equalization in high-speed UWOC systems to enhance system performance with both PAM and QPSK-OFDM modulations. Our experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of DeepESNs in UWOC systems, achieving error-free underwater transmission over 40.5 m with data rates up to 167 Mbps. Moreover, we compare the performance of DeepESNs to conventional echo state networks and provide suggestions on the configuration of a DeepESN for UWOC signals. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Underwater Wireless Optical Communication, Sensor and Network)
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21 pages, 7944 KiB  
Article
Uplink and Downlink NOMA Based on a Novel Interference Coefficient Estimation Strategy for Next-Generation Optical Wireless Networks
by Syed Agha Hassnain Mohsan, Yanlong Li, Zejun Zhang, Amjad Ali and Jing Xu
Photonics 2023, 10(5), 569; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics10050569 - 12 May 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2491
Abstract
Non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) has been widely recognized as a promising technology to improve the transmission capacity of wireless optical communication systems. NOMA considers the principle of successive interference cancellation (SIC) to separate a user’s signal at the receiver side. To improve the [...] Read more.
Non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) has been widely recognized as a promising technology to improve the transmission capacity of wireless optical communication systems. NOMA considers the principle of successive interference cancellation (SIC) to separate a user’s signal at the receiver side. To improve the ability of optical signal detection, we developed a quantum dot (QD) fluorescent concentrator incorporated with multiple-input and single-output (MISO) to realize an uplink NOMA-based optical wireless system. However, inaccurate interference assessment of multiple users using the SIC detection algorithm at the receiver side may lead to more prominent error propagation problems and affect the bit error rate (BER) performance of the system. This research aims to propose a novel recurrent neural network-based guided frequency interference coefficient estimation algorithm in a NOMA visible light communication (VLC) system. This algorithm can improve the accuracy of interference estimation compared with the traditional SIC detection algorithm by introducing interference coefficients. It provides a more accurate reconstruction possibility for level-by-level interference cancellation and weakens the influence of error propagation. In addition, we designed uplink and downlink NOMA-VLC communication systems for experimental validation. When the power allocation ratio was in the range of 0.8 to 0.97, the experimental results of the downlink validated that the BER performance of both users satisfied the forward error correction (FEC) limit with the least squares (LS)-SIC and the long short-term memory recurrent neural networks (LSTM)-SIC detection strategy. Moreover, the BER performance of the LSTM-SIC algorithm was better than that of the LS-SIC algorithm for all users when the power allocation ratio was in the range of 0.92 to 0.93. In particular, our proposed system offered a large detection area of 2 cm2 and corresponding aggregate data rate up to 40 Mbps over 1.5 m of free space by using QDs, and we successfully achieved a mean bit error rate (BER) of 2.3 × 10−3 for the two users. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Underwater Wireless Optical Communication, Sensor and Network)
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17 pages, 20929 KiB  
Article
Demonstration of 12.5 Mslot/s 32-PPM Underwater Wireless Optical Communication System with 0.34 Photons/Bit Receiver Sensitivity
by Xiaotian Han, Peng Li, Guangying Li, Chang Chang, Shuaiwei Jia, Zhuang Xie, Peixuan Liao, Wenchao Nie and Xiaoping Xie
Photonics 2023, 10(4), 451; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics10040451 - 14 Apr 2023
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2532
Abstract
High-capacity, long-distance underwater wireless optical communication (UWOC) technology is an important component in building fast, flexible underwater sensing networks. Underwater communication with light as a carrier has a large communication capacity, but channel loss induced by light attenuation and scattering largely limits the [...] Read more.
High-capacity, long-distance underwater wireless optical communication (UWOC) technology is an important component in building fast, flexible underwater sensing networks. Underwater communication with light as a carrier has a large communication capacity, but channel loss induced by light attenuation and scattering largely limits the underwater wireless optical communication distance. To improve the communication distance, a low-power 450 nm blue continuous wave (CW) laser diode (LD)-based UWOC system was proposed and experimentally demonstrated. A communication link was designed and constructed with a BER of 3.6 × 10−3 in a total link loss of 80.72 dB in c = 0.51 m−1 water with a scintillation index (S.I.) equal to 0.02 by combining with 32-pulse-position modulation (32-PPM) at a bandwidth of 12.5 MHz and single photon counting reception techniques. The allowable underwater communication distance in Jerlov II (c = 0.528 m−1) water was estimated to be 35.64 m. The attenuation lengths were 18.82, which were equal at link distances of 855.36 m in Jerlov I (c = 0.022 m−1) water. A receiving sensitivity of 0.34 photons/bit was achieved. To our knowledge, this is the lowest receiving sensitivity ever reported under 0.1 dB of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in the field of UWOC. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Underwater Wireless Optical Communication, Sensor and Network)
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