Link Misalignment for Underwater Wireless Optical Communications

Absorption and scattering processes respectively cause intensity attenuation and direction deviation of photons during their propagation through underwater environment and therefore affect the spatial and temporal distribution of light intensity. In this paper, we consider the link misalignment caused by the light source properties such as the divergence and elevation angles and evaluate their impacts on the spatial-temporal distribution of light intensity. Numerical examples in turbid water such as coastal and harbor water reveal the relationship among divergence angle, elevation angle, water type, link range and light intensity. Simulation results suggest that the received intensity decreases as the divergence and/or elevation angle increase.