Recently, wireless communication environments with high speeds and low complexity have become increasingly essential. Free-space optics (FSO) has emerged as a promising solution for providing direct connections between devices in such high-spectrum wireless setups. However, FSO communications are susceptible to weather-induced signal fluctuations, leading to fading and signal weakness at the receiver. To mitigate the effects of these challenges, several mathematical models have been proposed to describe the transition from weak to strong atmospheric turbulence, including Rayleigh, lognormal, Málaga, Nakagami-m, K-distribution, Weibull, Negative-Exponential, Inverse-Gaussian, G-G, and Fisher-Snedecor F distributions. This paper extensively studies and analyses different probability density functions (PDFs) that govern the FSO channel, considering various channel models. This paper aims to comprehensively understand how FSO channels can be effectively modeled using different PDFs. Accurate modeling is crucial for designing FSO systems that can operate optimally under potential environmental conditions. Selecting the appropriate PDF model plays a crucial role in determining the FSO channel's performance during system design. With a multitude of PDF models available, this study aims to identify the most effective PDF model to be employed in FSO channel modeling.
