North Carolina State University Undergraduate Symposium





2011 - 20th Annual NC State Undergraduate Research Spring Symposium

Close Details
2012 - 11th Annual NC State Summer Undergraduate Research Symposium
Session Time : 8/1/12 3:00 PM - 8/1/12 4:14 PM
Content Area : NC State Independent Researchers
Lead Student Presenters : Cheng Fu
Abstract Title : Monte Carlo Simulation of Light in Ocean Water
Abstract :
Underwater free space optical communication systems are of interest for underwater vehicles since radio frequency electromagnetic waves do not penetrate seawater. Understanding how light propagates underwater is important in designing such systems.This work uses Monte Carlo numerical simulation to model the impulse response and attenuation of the light signal due to scattering and absorption. The programming was done in Python. Python is a cross platform language that is increasingly used for scientific computing. The result shows the relation between the received photons and the influencing factors, including water type, the receiver apertures and the field of view. The histograms of photons received in temporal domain for different seawaters are also presented and are connected to the bandwidth of the communication signals.  The simulations are validated by comparing them with simulation results found in the literature. 
Mentor and/or Co-Author : John F. Muth