When we were first approached by Dr. Lucky to write this book we were very enthusiastic about the prospect, since we had contemplated a similar project for quite some time. The difficulty lay in how best to digest the vast amount of data on optical propagation, reduce it to a book of manageable size, and simultaneously form the transition from the physics of propagation to the engineering of optical channels. This is the intent of Optical Channels. In accomplishing our goal it was necessary to condense the material on optical propagation and, in so doing, we have left a large amount to be handled via references. We have tried to make these decisions in a consistent manner so that the book will be uniform in its treatment of this topic. We identify four channels for consideration: the free-space channel, which: is characteristic of a tranquil atmosphere or a space-to-space link; the turbulent channel, which is characteristic of the atmospheric channel; the scatter channel in two forms, clouds and water; and the fiber optic channel. For each of these channels we have tried to reduce the applicable propagation theory to a level that can be used for engineering design. This has been done by example, but here again decisions had to be made on which examples to present. We have not tried to present any material on optical components and consequently other references on engineering would be necessary to supplement this book.

When we were first approached by Dr. Lucky to write this book we were very enthusiastic about the prospect, since we had contemplated a similar project for quite some time. The difficulty lay in how best to digest the vast amount of data on optical propagation, reduce it to a book of manageable size, and simultaneously form the transition from the physics of propagation to the engineering of optical channels. This is the intent of Optical Channels. In accomplishing our goal it was necessary to condense the material on optical propagation and, in so doing, we have left a large amount to be handled via references. We have tried to make these decisions in a consistent manner so that the book will be uniform in its treatment of this topic. We identify four channels for consideration: the free-space channel, which: is characteristic of a tranquil atmosphere or a space-to-space link; the turbulent channel, which is characteristic of the atmospheric channel; the scatter channel in two forms, clouds and water; and the fiber optic channel. For each of these channels we have tried to reduce the applicable propagation theory to a level that can be used for engineering design. This has been done by example, but here again decisions had to be made on which examples to present. We have not tried to present any material on optical components and consequently other references on engineering would be necessary to supplement this book.

This second edition of Satellite Communications is a revised, updated, and improved version of the first edition (Van Nostrand, 1984) and has been extended to include many newer topics that are rapidly becoming important in modem and next-generation satellite systems. The first half of the book again covers the basics of satellite links, but has been updated to include additional areas such as Global Positioning and deep space satellites, dual polarization, multiple beaming, advanced satellite electronics, frequency synthesizers, and digital frequency generators. The second half of the book is all new, covering frequency and beam hopping, on-board processing, EHF and optical cross links, and mobile satellites and VSAT systems. All of these latter topics figure to be important aspects of satellite systems and space platforms of the twenty-first century. As in the first edition, the objective of the new edition is to present a unified approach to satellite communications, helping the reader to become familiar with the terminology, models, analysis procedures, and evolving design directions for modem and future satellites. The presentation stresses overall system analysis and block diagram design, as opposed to complicated mathematical or physics descriptions. (Backup mathematics is relegated to the appendices where a reader can digest the detail at his own pace. ) The discussion begins with the simplest satellite systems and builds to the more complex payloads presently being used."