Parallel RF/FSO Communication over α – μ Fading/M Turbulent Channels: A Secrecy Performance Analysis

With the deployment of hybrid RF-FSO networks, there exists the potential to contribute significantly to the evolving landscape of 6G communication, as it effectively addresses challenges pertaining to connectivity, capacity, and security. In this paper, we study the secrecy performance of hybrid radio frequency (RF) - free space optical (FSO) systems in the presence of an eavesdropper. To improve the reliability of the source-destination transmission process, we consider a source that can transmit data via both RF and FSO links, simultaneously. Specifically, the RF links are exposed to generalized α – μ fading channels, while the FSO link is subject to Málaga distributions. Therefore, we deduce the novel analytical expression of secrecy outage probability and verify the results with the Monte Carlo simulations. The outcomes underscore the pronounced impact of fading parameters, receiver detection techniques, pointing errors, and atmospheric turbulence on security performance.