Adaptive turbulence compensation with a hybrid
input–output algorithm in orbital angular
momentum-based free-space optical
communication
XIAOLI YIN,
1,2,3,
*HUAN CHANG,
1,2
XIAOZHOU CUI,
1,2
JIAN-XIN MA,
1,3
YONG-JUN WANG,
1,2,3
GUO-HUA WU,
1,2
LIJIA ZHANG,
1,2,3
AND XIANGJUN XIN
1,2,3
1
School of Electronic Engineering, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Beijing 100876, China
2
Beijing Key Laboratory of Space-Ground Interconnection and Convergence, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications,
Beijing 100876, China
3
State Key Laboratory of Information Photonics and Optical Communications, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications,
Beijing 100876, China
*Corresponding author: yinxl@bupt.edu.cn
Received 16 May 2018; revised 2 August 2018; accepted 15 August 2018; posted 15 August 2018 (Doc. ID 331890); published 10 September 2018
Atmospheric turbulence is a major challenge for practical orbital angular momentum (OAM)-based free-space
optical (FSO) communication systems that causes intermodal crosstalk and degrades the performance of the sys-
tem. Herein, we propose a hybrid input–output algorithm (HIOA)-based adaptive optics (AO) system to com-
pensate for distorted OAM beams. The principle and parameters of the HIOA-based AO system in an OAM-based
FSO system are analyzed, and the performance is discussed. The simulation results indicate that the HIOA-based
AO system can effectively correct distorted OAM beams and that the HIOA improves the compensation perfor-
mance and convergence speed compared to the traditional Gerchberg–Saxton algorithm. Moreover, we analyze
the compensation performance based on different probe beams. Using an OAM beam with state l 1 as a probe
beam can yield better correction effects than a Gaussian beam. This work verifies the feasibility of using an HIOA
for adaptive turbulence compensation and provides new insights into OAM communication systems.
© 2018
Optical Society of America
OCIS codes: (060.2605) Free-space optical communication; (010.1330) Atmospheric turbulence; (010.1080) Active or adaptive
optics.
https://doi.org/10.1364/AO.57.007644
1. INTRODUCTION
Optical vortex beams carrying orbital angular momentum
(OAM) with a particular helical phase structure of expilϕ,
where the OAM state l represents the number of 2π phase
shifts across the beam and ϕ is the azimuthal angle, have
attracted much attention in various areas, such as optical
manipulation, optical trapping, optical tweezers, and optical
vortex knots [1–6]. These beams are unique because beams car-
rying a distinct l are orthogonal to each other, and OAM beams
with different OAM numbers of l can be used for encoding
information or as information carriers in free-space optical
(FSO) communication systems to increase the channel infor-
mation capacity and spectral efficiency [7].
However, atmospheric turbulence (AT) is a major challenge
for OAM applications in FSO communication systems.
In practical FSO links, AT can cause phase distortion, which
induces intermodal crosstalk among different modes and
degrades the performance of received OAM beams [8].
Adaptive optics (AO) can effectively compensate for the AT
distortion [9–11].
A traditional AO system consists of a Shack–Hartmann
wave-front sensor (SH-WFS), a deformable mirror, and a con-
trol system [12]. Phase singularities in OAM beams can cause
measurement errors in the SH-WFS when attempting to recon-
struct the twisting phase front of the OAM beam [13]. Another
approach to AO techniques can obtain the wave-front distribu-
tion directly with a phase retrieval (PR) algorithm based on in-
tensity data [14]. The PR algorithm has been widely used in
wave-front sensing and beam shaping [15,16]. An AO scheme
based on the Gerchberg–Saxton algorithm (GSA) was proposed
by Zhao et al. in 2012 and used to compensate for distorted
OAM beams [17]. Researchers have performed many simula-
tions and experiments to avoid turbulence aberrations using
7644
Vol. 57, No. 26 / 10 September 2018 / Applied Optics
Research Article
1559-128X/18/267644-07 Journal © 2018 Optical Society of America