DC6 – Agustín Gonzalez Uriarte

Agustín earned his B.Sc., Engineering degree, and M.Sc. in Electrical Engineering with a specialization in telecommunications from the University of Chile in Santiago, Chile; graduating with maximum honors in both the engineering degree and the M.Sc. For his M.Sc., Agustín worked on the design and development of a low-cost optical wireless communication (OWC) system aimed at internet-of-things (IoT) applications. The system implemented simultaneous light-wave and information power transfer (SLIPT) using an off-the-shelf photovoltaic panel.

Previous to his M.Sc. work, Agustín worked in 5G NR simulations using the NS3 framework, implementing and analyzing the performance of different algorithms aimed at improving link performance in the RLC and physical layer of gNBs. His current interests encompass the design and development of OWC systems, signal processing, internet of things, and electronics.

DC6 – Project research

This thesis focuses on the design of efficient diversity and signal transmission techniques for free-space optical (FSO) communication links. In practice, the performance of FSO links is constrained by atmospheric turbulence and the limited power of the transmitter, which affect their range, data rate, and reliability. The main objective of this research is to design and develop advanced signal modulation techniques and error-correcting codes in order to significantly enhance the robustness and quality of FSO links. In addition, spatial and polarization diversity approaches will be investigated to mitigate the detrimental effects of atmospheric turbulence. Finally, the potential of ultra-sensitive photodetectors, such as single-photon avalanche diodes (SPADs), will be examined to optimize overall system performance, while addressing their inherent nonlinearity and limited response time.