Proposed Regime Definitions for the Optical Communication WG

1. Proposed Regime Definitions for the Optical Communication WG Spring 2014 CCSDS Meeting

2. Scenario Definition History • Both the Optical Coding and Modulation Special Interest Group (OCM SIG) and the Optical Links Study Group (OLSG) recognized that there were significantly different optical systems to recommend for deep space links and for near earth links • It was correctly noted that “deep space” and “near earth” were misleading categories as there could be cross-over between the two • Example: Proximity links near Mars could deploy a methodology recommended for “near earth” • Example: An earth-orbiting transmitter could use a solution recommended for “deep space” to reduce size, weight, and power • In the Optical Comm Working Group charter, the two scenarios were listed as “low and high signal photon flux” • The NASA team worked to create a definition to articulate the difference between these two regimes • The signal flux levels for a system are the result of system trades • New regime names are proposed to better illustrate those trades

3. Proposed Names and Definitions • The high photon efficiency regime is for optical links in which the power efficiency of the signaling is the primary performance driver, with targeted efficiencies of > ~1 information bit/received photon. With current technology, these scenarios would likely be limited to <1 gigabit/second. • The high data throughput regime is for optical links in which the achievable data rate is the primary performance driver, with targeted peak information throughputs > ~1 gigabit/second. With current technology, these scenarios would likely require > 1 received photon/information bit.