Shannon-Hartley Channel Capacity for Underwater Wireless Optical Communications

Although the Shannon-Hartley theorem is used to give insights into the upper limits of channel capacity for unguided underwater communications, experimental efforts to date show little or no clear validation of these models. A perspective on the bit-rate capacity for additive white Gaussian noise and intensity modulated direct detection underwater optical communication systems is presented by using engineering model functions. While the focus is on narrow optical Gaussian beams, as might be anticipated for artificially intelligent swarming autonomous underwater vehicles, the model is equally valid for broad transmission cone beams under certain relaxed parameter conditions. The emerging perspective here is for a concerted effort to validate these models in a standard way. This approach will provide practical bounds for underwater wireless optical communication systems making the development effort more productive, focused, and efficient.