AN OPTICALLY PREAMPLIFIED INTERSATELLITE PPM RECEIVER EMPLOYING MAXIMUM-LIKELIHOOD DETECTION

An original analysis, facilitated by the use of Gaussian approximation (GA) and Chernoff bound (CB) techniques, is presented for an opticall y preamplified intersatellite pulse position modulation (PPM) receiver employing maximum likelihood detection (MLD), The theoretical results , from calculations performed at a wavelength of 1.54 mu m and bit rat e of 25 Mb/s demonstrate that the receiver is approximately 1.5 dB mor e sensitive than an earlier optically preamplified PPM receiver and al so more sensitive than the fundamental limit of optically preamplified on-off keyed (OOK) NRZ signalling, Thus, it is demonstrated that the proposed receiver configuration is a strong contender for implementati on in future laser intersatellite communication systems.