PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF FREE-SPACE OPTICAL COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS UNDER ATMOSPHERIC IMPAIRMENTS FOR SUSTAINABLE HIGH-SPEED DATA TRANSMISSION

Free-Space Optical (FSO) communication has emerged as a promising alternative to conventional radio frequency (RF) systems for high-speed data transmission due to its large bandwidth, license-free spectrum, and immunity to electromagnetic interference. However, the performance of FSO systems is highly sensitive to atmospheric conditions such as fog, rain, and turbulence, which introduce attenuation and signal degradation. This paper presents a comprehensive performance evaluation of FSO communication systems under various environmental constraints using key metrics such as Bit Error Rate (BER), Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR), and received optical power. The analysis demonstrates the impact of atmospheric impairments on system reliability and link performance. Furthermore, the study highlights the energy-efficient nature of FSO systems, making them suitable for sustainable communication infrastructures. The findings provide insights for designing robust and environmentally adaptive optical communication systems aligned with ICSEFT themes of sustainable and efficient technologies.