Aghajanzadeh, S. M.Uysal, Murat2016-02-162016-02-162011978-1-4577-0743-8http://hdl.handle.net/10679/2429https://doi.org/10.1109/CWIT.2011.5872136Due to copyright restrictions, the access to the full text of this article is only available via subscription.In this paper, we investigate the diversity-multiplexing tradeoff (DMT) of a multi-hop coherent free-space optical (FSO) system over atmospheric channels. We consider a relay-assisted FSO system with decode-and-forward relay nodes and multiple heterodyne receivers with modal compensation. Based on a recently introduced statistical characterization for the combined effects of turbulence-induced amplitude fluctuations and phase aberrations, we quantify the potential performance improvements through the derivation of DMT. Our results demonstrate significant performance gains that can be achieved by multi-hop transmission in coherent FSO systems.engrestrictedAccessconferenceObject11211510.1109/CWIT.2011.5872136Decode and forward communicationMultiplexingOptical communicationOptical receiversRelays2-s2.0-79959876636