Modeling weather-resilient laser communication: PPM performance with SNSPD in satellite links

Laser communication using satellites represents a promising avenue for data transmission in geographically distant areas without advanced infrastructure. This approach is characterized by its high transmission rate and low power requirements, providing substantial benefits over optical fiber and radio communication. However, the optical channel should exhibit greater transparency for light transmission, resulting in a severely restricted application of this technique for information transmission during adverse weather conditions or over long distances. To mitigate the limitations, the employment of a superconducting single-photon detector as a receiver has been proposed. Here, we provide a numerical analysis of a laser communication system to determine the atmospheric attenuation thresholds required to establish a reliable laser link using the pulse position modulation (PPM) scheme and superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPD).