Mobile deep-ultraviolet optical communication

Deep ultraviolet (DUV) optical communication provides critical advantages for enhancing security and reducing signal interference, particularly in solar-blind and nighttime environments. To address the need for highly dynamic and secure networks, we demonstrate a drone-based DUV optical communication system capable of dynamically achieving one-to-multiple receiver configurations. Operating under the universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter (UART) protocol, the system integrates DUV light-emitting diode (LED) arrays and photomultiplier tube (PMT) receivers to significantly extend transmission distance and broaden spatial coverage. Our demonstration successfully achieves a data rate of 40 Mbps with a bit error rate (BER) below 10 −6 when the received optical power exceeds 2.14 nW. This work establishes the practical viability of drone-based DUV systems for flexible, multi-node secure communications.