Selecting a distribution function for optical attenuation in dense continental fog conditions

Free Space Optics (FSO) is a broadband access technology finding numerous applications in next generation networks (NGN). The biggest disadvantage of this technology is its dependence on local weather conditions in the free-space atmospheric channel. This requires a thorough investigation of different attenuating factors and their influence on FSO transmissions. In this paper we analyze the behavior of dense continental fog on FSO links by investigating different probability distribution functions for measured optical attenuations. Several probability distributions are used; to observe reasonable probability distribution which best suits to describe the characteristics of FSO links under dense continental fog conditions. Further, Kolmogorov-Smirnov non-parametric test is used for goodness of fit of the selected probability distributions. The results of Kolmogorov-Smirnov test suggests that Wakeby probability distribution function is reasonable to describe the behavior of optical attenuation data measured in a dense continental fog environment.