Adaptive receiver array for WDM optical wireless communication

In this paper we use Monte-Carlo methods to study the passage of light through fog and evaluate the possibilities of enhancing OWC (optical wireless communication) performance by adaptively changing the FOV (field of view). The FOV is increased by selectively activating detectors in an array, and the signal and noise powers for different settings are computed. The WDM C-band range of wavelengths was investigated as they facilitate seamless fiber-wireless communication and since eye-safety regulations sanction higher power transmission than for near infrared wavelengths. Power reception improvements of tens of percent, in comparison to the use of a single detector, are demonstrated. In a numerical example, this is translated into BER improvements of several orders of magnitude.