Higher order mode laser beam scintillations in oceanic medium

In a horizontal oceanic optical wireless communication link, the scintillation index (the measure for the intensity fluctuations) of the received intensity caused by the oceanic turbulence is formulated and evaluated when the source is a higher order mode laser. Variations in the scintillation index vs. the underwater turbulence parameters, size of the higher order mode laser source, link length, and the wavelength are examined. Underwater turbulence parameters are the ratio that determines the relative strength of temperature and salinity in driving the index fluctuations, the rate of dissipation of the mean squared temperature, the rate of dissipation of the turbulent kinetic energy, and the Kolmogorov microscale length.