Experimental Emulation of LEO Downlink OFLs Affected by Turbulence and Pointing Jitter

Optical space networks are envisioned as key elements of next-generation networks, leveraging the vast bandwidth of the optical domain and the wide coverage of space networks to achieve global broadband connectivity. However, the integration of terrestrial and satellite networks via optical feeder links (OFLs) is challenged by atmospheric turbulence and pointing jitter, which cause random power fading. To assess the suitability of commercial fiber-optic hardware for OFLs, this paper introduces an experimental testbed for the emulation of turbulence- and pointing jitter-induced fading. The developed testbed is used to assess the performance of commercial 10 Gigabit Ethernet transceivers under turbulence-induced scintillation and various pointing jitter levels, emulating a downlink transmission from a low Earth orbit satellite.