Non-Gaussian Atmospheric Noise in Binary-Data, Phase-Coherent Communication Systems

Performance evaluation of a binary-data phasecoherent system is presented for the case when interference is confined to the non-Gaussian component of atmospheric noise. As a first step, a mathematical model of the non-Gaussian component of atmospheric noise in narrow bandwidths is formulated which, for high instantaneous noise voltages, coincides exactly with the empirical atmospheric noise data. Second, the upper and lower bounds on the average bit errors of a phase-coherent system perturbed by the non-Gaussian noise component are derived as functions of the noise parameters. Third, a technique is developed whereby the effects of the entire atmospheric noise can be approximated by a combination of the non-Gaussian and Gaussian components with different power densities.