ABSTRACT
Hybrid Optical/E-Band Correlated Channel Model Principal Researcher: Dr Siu-Wai Ho (AU) Contributors: Mark Stewart, Vince Wang (AU) The Radio Frequency (RF) spectrum allocated for Satellite Communications (SATCOM) in the 1GHz to 40GHz band is increasingly congested and contested with rising bandwidth demand and competition. There are higher frequency RF bands (eg ‘E-Band’) allocated for SATCOM that offer large bandwidths but are not yet in common use. Optical communications can also provide very high bandwidth communications with potentially immunity to jamming, but again are not yet in common use in the Earth-Space context. A recognised approach to increasing resilience in a contest is to apply diversity. In order for diversity to provide a practical gain, the diversity methods have to be sufficiently independent against both benign and hostile environments. To date, there is very little published information in the diversity provided by pairing E-band (70/80GHz) and optical (Near Infra-Red) communications. DSTG obtained a data set logged from a terrestrial pairing of E-band and optical communications operating over short ranges, at multiple locations and including weather data. The data was analysed to characterise the real time correlation between the physical layer propagation of the RF and optical signals. The logged data was incidental and therefore lacked some fidelity, however some useful indicative results in correlated behavior against different weather phenomena have been extracted. The activity was sponsored by Defence Science and Technology Group under the SmartSat CRC Research Program. The analysis and development of data science based modelling was conducted at University of Adelaide's Teletraffic Research Centre. CHORUS - Compact Hybrid Optical - RF SATCOM Terminal The Radio Frequency (RF) spectrum allocated for Satellite Communications (SATCOM) in the 1-40GHz electromagnetic band is becoming increasingly congested and contested in the face of rising bandwidth demand and competition. Optical communications have been demonstrated to provide very high bandwidth communications with very low probability of intercept and offer a potential solution to these challenges. These advantages, however, are offset by a practical difficulty: Optical communications can only function after establishing a reliable link which requires both transmit and receive elements to be pointed with very high accuracy. This has, to date, proved very challenging in the Earth to Space context and has restricted the deployment of this capability to large, fixed Earth terminals with high performance and exquisite calibration. The CHORUS Project seeks to address this practical difficulty through building on existing world leading Australian technology in compact RF SATCOM tactical terminals and optical communications to develop "leap-frogging" technology that exploits physical layer bearer diversity through a highly integrated hybrid Optical/RF tactical SATCOM terminal. The CHORUS terminal ultimately targets operation from on the move (OTM) platforms. CHORUS is a collaborative project under the SmartSat CRC, an element of the Next Generation Technologies Fund Space Technologies program. It is also one of a number of SmartSat projects that are developing critical technologies that contribute to the Indo-Pacific Connector Capability Demonstrator. The CHORUS collaborators are EOS Space Systems, EM Solutions, Shoal Group, Defence Science and Technology Group, Australian National University (ANU), University of South Australia (UniSA), and Lyrebird Antenna Research.

BIOGRAPHY
Dr. Gerald Bolding received the B.Eng. (Electronic Engineering) degree with distinction from the South Australian Institute of Technology in 1988 and a PhD in Digital Communications from the University of South Australia in 1997. He worked at the University of South Australia (87-96) in the field of Digital Communications, at Auspace Ltd (96-07) as a technology specialist in modem development (both in Australia and the United Kingdom) and as a unit business manager. Dr Bolding held a Board position at the Defence Teaming Centre (South Australia) from 2004 to 2007. Dr Bolding joined Defence Science and Technology Group in 2007 and his current position is Senior Scientist Satellite Communications, Information Sciences Division. Dr Bolding’s research interests include Military Satellite Communications and Communications Signal Processing. Dr. Bolding has 17 scientific publications, is a Member of both the IEEE and Engineers Australia and is the Project Lead for Project CHORUS being undertaken in collaboration with the SmartSat CRC.