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Engineering

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Optical engineering

Computer security

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Telecommunications

Optical communication

Computer science

Free space

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Free-space optical communication

Optics

Electronic engineering

Channel (broadcasting)

Wireless

Software deployment

Key (lock)

IEEE Communications Magazine

Free-space optical (FSO) systems are able to offer the high data-rate, secure, and cost-efficient communication links required for applications such as wireless front- and backhauling for 5G and 6G communication networks. Despite the substantial advancement of FSO systems over the past decades, the requirement of a line-of-sight connection between transmitter and receiver remains a key limiting factor for their deployment. In this article, we discuss the potential role of intelligent reflecting surfaces (IRSs) as a solution to relax this requirement. We present an overview of existing optical IRS technologies; compare optical IRSs with radio frequency IRSs and optical relays; and identify various open problems for future research on IRS-assisted FSO communications.

Intelligent Reflecting Surface Assisted Free-Space Optical Communications