Analysis and Enhancement of Spectral Efficiency of UWOC System for IoUT Applications

Underwater wireless optical communication (UWOC) has engrossed significant attention in diverse fields, such as defence, military applications, environmental monitoring, and scientific research. The growing number of interconnected devices in underwater environments has increased the importance of UWOC capacity analysis. It will be instrumental in underwater optical wireless sensor networks (UOWSNs) and the Internet of Underwater Things (IoUT). Understanding the concept of underwater channel capacity is crucial as it determines the maximum volume of reliable information that can be sent through the underwater communication channel. This work focuses on analyzing the performance of a UWOC system that facilitates communication between a surface source (ship) and an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) as the intended recipient. The investigation considers explicitly heterodyne detection and models the channel with Exponential Generalized Gamma (EGG) distribution. The study presents closed-form expressions for average channel capacity, employing Meijer’s G function and derived average spectral efficiency (ASE) based on the derived channel capacity. Additionally, the paper delves into the influence of various factors, including pointing errors, bubble levels, water types, beam waist, and aperture radius, on the system’s overall performance.