Optical Wireless Communications: System and Channel Modelling with MATLAB®, Second Edition

Optical wireless communication is reshaping how we think about high-bandwidth links—from indoor Li-Fi to long-range free-space optical systems. This book, now in its second edition, offers a rigorous yet practical guide to modelling and analysing these systems. Written by three researchers active in the field, it combines theoretical foundations with hands-on MATLAB® examples, making it a working reference for engineers and graduate students who need to design, simulate, and evaluate OWC links.

From Fundamentals to Advanced Turbulence Modelling

The book begins with an overview of optical wireless systems, comparing them with radio and outlining safety regulations. It then moves through the building blocks: LEDs, lasers, photodetectors, and the noise mechanisms that limit performance. Dedicated chapters tackle channel modelling for both indoor environments (including artificial light interference) and outdoor atmospheric links, with detailed treatments of fog, scintillation, and turbulence models such as log-normal and gamma-gamma.

Modulation, Detection, and System Performance

Readers will find thorough coverage of modulation schemes—OOK, PPM, DPIM, subcarrier intensity modulation, OFDM, and polarisation shift keying—alongside bit-error-rate analysis and comparisons. The later chapters address indoor multipath mitigation, equalisation, and artificial neural network-based receivers, before moving to free-space optical links with diversity techniques and hybrid RF-FSO schemes. Each concept is illustrated with MATLAB® code and simulation results, helping readers translate equations into working models.

Who This Book Is For

This second edition is aimed at graduate students, researchers, and practising engineers in optical communications, wireless systems, and photonics. It assumes a basic background in signal processing and communications, but the step-by-step MATLAB® implementations make advanced topics accessible to those new to OWC. If you are working on Li-Fi, FSO, or optical interconnects, this book provides the analytical tools and practical guidance to model real-world channels and evaluate system performance.

Why It Remains a Key Reference

Since the first edition, optical wireless has moved from niche research to commercial deployment. This update captures that progress, adding recent advances in turbulence modelling, mitigation techniques, and diversity methods. The authors’ clear explanations and extensive use of MATLAB® set it apart from purely theoretical texts. Whether you are designing an indoor link or analysing an outdoor FSO system, the book offers a solid foundation and a bridge between theory and simulation.

Digital Delights is pleased to offer this technical ebook for engineers and researchers who want a comprehensive, simulation-oriented resource on optical wireless communications.