Modeling of fog and smoke attenuation in free space optical communications link under controlled laboratory conditions

This paper theoretically and experimentally investigate the spectrum attenuation of free space optical (FSO) communication systems operating at visible and near infrared (NIR) wavelengths (0.6 μm <λ <1.6 μm) under fog and smoke in a controlled laboratory condition. Fog and smoke are generated and controlled homogeneously along a dedicated atmospheric chamber of length 5.5 m. A new wavelength dependent empirical model is proposed to predict the fog and smoke attenuation operating at visible and NIR wavelengths. Comparison of the new proposed model with the measured continuous attenuation spectrum from visible—NIR in the fog and smoke channels shows a close relationship than the semi-empirical Kim and Kruse fog models. The experimental results also show the selection for the possible appropriate wavelengths from visible—NIR for FSO links to achieve the maximum link span in dense fog conditions.