Optical Communication through Atmospheric Turbulence: Classical and Quantum

Jeffrey Shapiro
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Research Laboratory of Electronics

Parts per million refractive-index fluctuations associated with turbulent mixing of air parcels with ~1 K temperature differences — which lead to beam spread, angular spread, and time-dependent fading known as scintillation — distinguish clear-weather atmospheric optical propagation from propagation through vacuum. This talk will review the statistics of propagation through atmospheric turbulence, and their consequences for classical and quantum communication through this channel.

Presentation (PDF File)

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