A Comprehensive Analysis of FSO Communications with UAV Technologies

Employing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) within relay-based free-space optical (FSO) communication systems provides notable benefits in addressing turbulence induced atmospheric scintillation by virtue of their dynamic movement. This research performs an in-depth evaluation of the effectiveness of a UAV-based FSO system that employs a dual-hop decode-and-forward approach with multiple transmission sources. By integrating the Gamma-Gamma (GG) distribution into the analysis of atmospheric turbulence in conjunction with considerations of atmospheric losses, misalignment, and variations in arrival angles, we derive an accurate equation for the probability density function (PDF) of the overall channel gain. In this article, a mathematical formula for the system's average bit error rate (BER) is derived, and its accuracy is confirmed through thorough Monte Carlo simulations. These simulations illustrate the effectiveness of our theoretical framework across different scenarios. The findings emphasize the enhanced efficiency and adaptability of FSO systems utilizing UAVs for multiple data sources, offering valuable knowledge for applications like surveillance across various locations and communication across mobile networks.