Implementing polarization shift keying over satellite - system design and measurement results

• Published in: International journal of satellite communications and networking Vol. 34; no. 2; pp. 211 - 229
• Main Authors: Arend, Lionel, Sperber, Ray, Marso, Michel, Krause, Jens
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chichester Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.03.2016; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: DSP modem design; non-linear amplifiers; polarization shift keying; receiver synchronization; satellite communications
• ISSN: 1542-0973; 1542-0981
• DOI: 10.1002/sat.1112

Summary Polarization shift keying (PolSK) is a digital modulation technique using the state of polarization of an electromagnetic wave as the signalling quantity. PolSK comes from fibre communications, where the channel offers two orthogonal states of polarization. This article develops on the idea to adapt this technology to satellite communications, where similar channel conditions exist. For this purpose, a digital PolSK modem was implemented on a programmable logic board. A proposal for constellation design as well as thoughts on synchronization of PolSK over satellite is presented. The modem was used to demonstrate a 16‐state Polarization Shift Keying link over a commercial satellite in Ku band. Measurements have been conducted in a back‐to‐back setup on intermediate frequency and on a Ku band transponder simulator to assess the impact of path‐length differences, carrier recovery and non‐linearity. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. A polarization shift keying modem was developed for use over a satellite link. Applicability in the satellite scenario, spectral shape and constellation design are discussed. The detection performance using a 16‐point constellation is determined by simulation and verified experimentally over satellite transponders.