Modeling and performance analysis of underwater wireless optical absorption, scattering, and turbulence channels employing Monte Carlo-multiple phase screens

Abstract

The absorption, scattering, and turbulence effects have a significant impact on the performance of underwater wireless optical communication (UWOC). Therefore, it is crucial to consider seawater’s optical parameters comprehensively when designing UWOC systems. So far, most studies on the UWOC channel have separately modeled the absorption and scattering, and turbulence of seawater, and furthermore, the continuous phase perturbations caused by turbulence are neglected to simplify the model when modeling turbulence channels. Hence, this paper simultaneously considers the absorption, scattering, and turbulence effects of seawater and proposes a UWOC channel modeling method that combines Monte Carlo simulation with multiple phase screen approaches. Subsequently, the impacts of different systems and channel conditions on system performance are explored, and simulation results indicate that as the turbidities and turbulence intensities of the seawater increase, the probability density function of received light signal intensity becomes more dispersed. The turbulence introduces an increase in path loss of approximately 5 dB compared to its absence. Furthermore, the channel impulse response (CIR) is obtained, where the turbulence effects cause a 50% decrease in the CIR peak and the noticeable temporal spread.