Sampling Frequency Offset Analysis and Compensation for OFDM-Based LEO Satellite Communication System

The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) 5G Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN) adopt Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) to enable integrated space-ground networks via Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite global connectivity. However, the rapid movement of LEO satellites induces a significant non-uniform Doppler shift across subcarriers, resulting in the signal bandwidth changes that leads to sampling point offsets and severely impacting demodulation performance. Traditional Doppler compensation algorithms focus mainly on addressing the uniform Carrier Frequency Offset (CFO) caused by crystal oscillation. In LEO satellite broadband communication systems, the Sampling Frequency Offset (SFO), caused by the non-uniform Doppler frequency shift, can be tens of times greater than the CFO, leading to non-negligible phase rotation, inter-carrier interference (ICI), and inter-symbol interference (ISI). Consequently, a low-complexity algorithm is required to address the fast time-varying SFO — one of the core challenges in these systems. In this paper, we derive a closed-form expression for the signal distortion and propose a model-driven compensation method that leverages the predictability of satellite trajectories. The proposed method effectively removes phase rotation and mitigates ICI and ISI through fast Fourier transform (FFT) window adjustment and phase rotation compensation. The accuracy of the model is validated through extensive simulations and a real satellite communication trial. Results demonstrate that the proposed method supports higher-order modulations, leading to an average spectral efficiency improvement of approximately 50%. This pioneering research promises to ensure robust performance in dynamic LEO satellite environments.