Ultraviolet Pulse Position Modulation in the Presence of Scattering Losses

Abstract

Ultraviolet (UV) communication systems allow non-line-of-sight mode of communications. This is made possible due to the scattering of UV signals from the molecules and aerosols present in the atmosphere. In this paper, a UV system employing pulse position modulation (PPM) is studied. The receiver uses avalanche photodiode detectors in the Geiger mode. The effects of fog and dust aerosols on the bit error rate performance are presented. Results are given for varying distances between the transmitter and the receiver. For the parameters considered, the results show a significant improvement in the bit error rate performance with an increase in the fog particle density.