DC5 – Dinesh Kumar Umasankar
Nokia Networks France
Dinesh Kumar Umasankar is currently pursuing his PhD within the FOCAL Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Doctoral Network at Nokia Bell Labs, France. His research centers on Ultra-high-speed cross-atmosphere communication between OGS to LEO and beyond, with a particular focus on investigating and developing advanced techniques to mitigate the effects of atmospheric turbulence.
Originally from India, Dinesh holds a master’s degree in Information and Electrical Engineering from Hochschule Wismar, Germany. During his master’s thesis at the German Aerospace Center (DLR), he worked on the development of photonic integrated circuit (PIC)-based high-throughput optical communication systems for space applications.
He has a strong academic and research interest in optical communication systems and signal processing. Dinesh believes that free-space optical communication holds immense potential to address the growing global demand for broadband data. Moreover, it offers promising applications in scenarios such as disaster recovery networks, inter-satellite links, secure military communications, and rural connectivity.
Summary on the PhD topic
This PhD project focuses on the development of high-capacity (100G+) free-space optical (FSO) communication systems for ground-to-Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite links. A key objective is to investigate and implement advanced techniques to mitigate the effects of atmospheric turbulence, which can significantly degrade signal quality and system performance. This includes the use of adaptive optics and digital signal processing to dynamically compensate for signal distortions. The project also explores diversity techniques and adaptive transmission schemes to enhance link robustness and efficiency under varying atmospheric conditions.
The work involves the development of novel, time-varying channel models that accurately represent the impact of atmospheric distortions on optical signals. This includes selecting and evaluating suitable optical interfaces for fiber-coupled transceivers operating at data rates above 100 Gbps and demonstrating a ground-to-LEO link using real-world turbulence data with implemented mitigation strategies. The research further assesses the conditions required for eective integration of such optical links into terrestrial fiber networks, enabling seamless end-to-end connectivity. The ultimate goal is to contribute to the realization of a scalable, secure, and high-capacity optical communication backbone in the sky, supporting global broadband access.