Acoustic Wave Strategy to Enhance Free-Space Optics Link Performance in Fog Conditions

Alex Cameron; Muhammad Ijaz; Zabih Ghassemlooy; Xicong Li; Bruce Drinkwater; Yongqing Fu

doi:10.1109/LPT.2025.3572356

Acoustic Wave Strategy to Enhance Free-Space Optics Link Performance in Fog Conditions

Alex Cameron^*, Muhammad Ijaz, Zabih Ghassemlooy, Xicong Li, Bruce Drinkwater, Yongqing Fu

^*Corresponding author for this work

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Abstract

Free space optics (FSO) provides innovative and cost-effective connectivity for future sixth generation (6G) terrestrial backhaul networks (TBNs). However, atmospheric conditions such as fog and smog can severely disrupt FSO performance. In this letter we proposed for the first time the use of an acoustic wave strategy to mitigate dense fog in FSO to optimise the performance of TBNs. Acoustic agglomeration has previously been studied for fog removal or air purification systems, but seldomly for FSO applications. In this study, an indoor optical chamber was designed to evaluate the proposed system over a propagation link range of 0.6-1.0 m. The results showed that FSO link visibility was improved by 126 m in dense fog, with an improved transmittance up to 65%.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	1471-1474
Number of pages	4
Journal	IEEE Photonics Technology Letters
Volume	37
Issue number	24
Early online date	21 May 2025
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1109/LPT.2025.3572356
Publication status	Published - 15 Dec 2025

Keywords

Acoustic Agglomeration
Fog Attenuation
Free Space Optics
Link Enhancement
Visibility range

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10.1109/LPT.2025.3572356

PTL accepted paperAccepted author manuscript, 643 KB

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title = "Acoustic Wave Strategy to Enhance Free-Space Optics Link Performance in Fog Conditions",

abstract = "Free space optics (FSO) provides innovative and cost-effective connectivity for future sixth generation (6G) terrestrial backhaul networks (TBNs). However, atmospheric conditions such as fog and smog can severely disrupt FSO performance. In this letter we proposed for the first time the use of an acoustic wave strategy to mitigate dense fog in FSO to optimise the performance of TBNs. Acoustic agglomeration has previously been studied for fog removal or air purification systems, but seldomly for FSO applications. In this study, an indoor optical chamber was designed to evaluate the proposed system over a propagation link range of 0.6-1.0 m. The results showed that FSO link visibility was improved by 126 m in dense fog, with an improved transmittance up to 65\%.",

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T1 - Acoustic Wave Strategy to Enhance Free-Space Optics Link Performance in Fog Conditions

AU - Cameron, Alex

AU - Ijaz, Muhammad

AU - Ghassemlooy, Zabih

AU - Li, Xicong

AU - Drinkwater, Bruce

AU - Fu, Yongqing

PY - 2025/12/15

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N2 - Free space optics (FSO) provides innovative and cost-effective connectivity for future sixth generation (6G) terrestrial backhaul networks (TBNs). However, atmospheric conditions such as fog and smog can severely disrupt FSO performance. In this letter we proposed for the first time the use of an acoustic wave strategy to mitigate dense fog in FSO to optimise the performance of TBNs. Acoustic agglomeration has previously been studied for fog removal or air purification systems, but seldomly for FSO applications. In this study, an indoor optical chamber was designed to evaluate the proposed system over a propagation link range of 0.6-1.0 m. The results showed that FSO link visibility was improved by 126 m in dense fog, with an improved transmittance up to 65%.

AB - Free space optics (FSO) provides innovative and cost-effective connectivity for future sixth generation (6G) terrestrial backhaul networks (TBNs). However, atmospheric conditions such as fog and smog can severely disrupt FSO performance. In this letter we proposed for the first time the use of an acoustic wave strategy to mitigate dense fog in FSO to optimise the performance of TBNs. Acoustic agglomeration has previously been studied for fog removal or air purification systems, but seldomly for FSO applications. In this study, an indoor optical chamber was designed to evaluate the proposed system over a propagation link range of 0.6-1.0 m. The results showed that FSO link visibility was improved by 126 m in dense fog, with an improved transmittance up to 65%.

KW - Acoustic Agglomeration

KW - Fog Attenuation

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KW - Link Enhancement

KW - Visibility range

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DO - 10.1109/LPT.2025.3572356

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Acoustic Wave Strategy to Enhance Free-Space Optics Link Performance in Fog Conditions

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