Wave-optics numerical simulation of atmospheric turbulence in 10,000-km-scale satellite–ground optical links with spatially adaptive phase screens
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Atmospheric turbulence degrades satellite-ground optical links through scintillation, beam wander, power fluctuations, and wavefront distortion. Simulating approximately 10,000-km links is challenging because a finite turbulent atmosphere must be coupled to a long near-vacuum path. We propose a spatially adaptive phase-screen configuration based on equal log-amplitude variance and introduce a band-limited scaled multistep angular-spectrum method. Monte Carlo simulations quantitatively assess beam-centroid wander, scintillation index, collected-power attenuation, and single-mode-fiber coupling efficiency versus near-ground turbulence and terminal altitude. Results identify beam wander and collected-power fluctuations as primary uplink limitations, whereas poor fiber coupling primarily limits downlinks, providing guidance for acquisition, tracking, and pointing (ATP), wavefront-correction system design, and communication-scheme selection.
Source: Optics Express
DOI: 10.1364/oe.616236
Language: English
Subfield: Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,270
OpenAlex ID: W7222050953