OWC 2016 - 5th Colloquium on Optical Wireless Communications

Interest and research in free space optical (FSO) data links and optical wireless communications (OWC) continue to grow. However, it still remains an emerging technology with a number of technical challenges preventing widespread acceptance and implementation. For instance, in FSO links the focusing and transmission of laser energy through the atmosphere and space involves problems related to signal reception, tracking, steering, pointing, laser-beam propagation, laser speckle, system design, and information processing. In OWC, frequently encountered issues are balancing the field of view versus the link budget, the lack of high-performance electrical components, energy efficiency and the coexistence with ambient lighting. The objective of this colloquium is to provide a forum for researchers, product engineers, and systems developers to present and discuss the latest developments in optical wireless communications.