The effects of atmospheric turbulence on broadband communication channels above 10 GHz

Atmospheric turbulence generates of scintillation of the received signals that can seriously affect communications systems above 10 GHz. A model developed by the authors simulates scintillation effects observed on experimental links with the OLYMPUS satellite of the European Space Agency and predicts the influence of turbulences on broadband propagation channels. The influences of the link parameters, of the antennas, and of the propagation medium characteristics on a communication link can be determined. The impact of cloud induced turbulence on the performances of broadband digital communication can be measured in terms of bit error rate.