Bit-error-rate performance of an underwater wireless optical link under misalignment and turbulence effects

Abstract

Underwater wireless optical communication (UWOC) links are highly susceptible to the degrading effects of oceanic turbulence and beam misalignment. In this paper, considering a silicon photo-multiplier at the receiver, we evaluate the link average bit-error rate (BER) performance, where an analytical expression is derived for its calculation, validated further by means of numerical simulations. We further investigate the impact of different system parameters on the link average BER.