Free-space Rapid Exchange of Secure and Covert Optical Signals (FRESCOS)
Abstract
Free-space optical (FSO) systems are generating great interest in the U.S. defense community because of their ability to enable high-bandwidth communications in RF-contested environments. From a security perspective, the inherent low probability of detection (LPD) and low probability of interception (LPI) of laser light are important advantages of FSO systems. FRESCOS aims to conduct fundamental research into the LPD properties of FSO channels. For example, little work has been done so far to calculate and measure the rate of covert (provably undetectable) communications achievable in such channels as a function of various atmospheric parameters such as density of aerosols, strength of atmospheric turbulence, and intensity of solar and artificial background light. We propose a closely-coordinated effort to study covert communications (comms) in free-space channels. We will pursue fundamental developments to the theory of covert comms from an information-theoretic perspective, discovering the fundamental limitations of such comms and also developing algorithms and coding schemes that enable us to work toward saturating those bounds. In parallel, we will build a free-space optical link that will allow us to directly measure the achievable rate of covert communications when implementing them using themethods discovered in the theoretical portion of the program. These measurements will serve as a springboard for studying the vulnerabilities in FSO links, so that they can be effectively countered.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Feb 06, 2023
- Source ID
- N000142312193
Entities
People
- Robert D. Clark
Organizations
- Georgia Tech Applied Research Corporation
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy