The integration of optical and wireless systems is considered to be one of the most promising solutions for increasing the existing capacity and mobility as well as decreasing the costs in next-generation optical access networks. In this paper, several key enabling technologies for hybrid optical-wireless access networks are described, including optical millimeter-wave (mm-wave) generation, upconversion, and transmission in a downlink direction, and full-duplex operation based on wavelength reuse by using a centralized light source in an uplink direction. By employing these enabling technologies, we design and experimentally demonstrate an optical-wireless testbed that is simultaneously delivering wired and wireless services in the integrated optical-wireless and wavelength-division-multiplexing passive-optical-network access networks. The actual applications consisting of 270-Mb/s uncompressed standard-definition TV signal and 2.5-Gb/s data channels for downstream are successfully transmitted over a 25-km fiber and a 10.2-m indoor wireless link with less than a 1.5-dB power penalty. The results show that this integrated system is a practical solution to deliver superbroadband information services to both stationary and mobile users.

Key Enabling Technologies for Optical–Wireless Networks: Optical Millimeter-Wave Generation, Wavelength Reuse, and Architecture

We have studied RF transmission over various multimode fibers (MMFs) and a standard single-mode fiber, targeting picocellular networks for voice, data, and video applications. Bandwidth requirements of MMF links that are based on vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) have been extensively studied. The performance of the radio-over-fiber link is assessed in terms of the error vector magnitude. Also conducted was a full system analysis, including the investigation of an achievable dynamic range and a noise figure for different low-cost architectures. This was compared to coax-based RF transmission. The IEEE 802.11 a/b/g standard, as well as other applications like radio frequency identification tracking, was considered. For experimental investigations, we have used both commercial wireless access points and a vector signal generator as a signal source, with two types of directly modulated VCSELs - 850-nm sources and 1310-nm high-speed uncooled single-mode AlGaInAs/InP VCSELs. A robust system performance was demonstrated in both 2.4- and 5-GHz RF bands, and record multimode and standard single-mode fiber transmission distances were achieved. A transponder design that can meet system requirements in terms of sensitivity ( 95 dBldrHz2/3) for a dual-band wireless LAN (WLAN) fiber-radio picocellular network was developed. A full 14-cell experimental WLAN system with cells of 4-m radius was implemented to study networking issues such as handoff and cochannel interference.

Radio Over Fiber for Picocellular Network Architectures

Light fields carrying orbital angular momentum (OAM) provide powerful capabilities for applications in optical communications, microscopy, quantum optics, and microparticle manipulation. We introduce a property of light beams, manifested as a temporal OAM variation along a pulse: the self-torque of light. Although self-torque is found in diverse physical systems (i.e., electrodynamics and general relativity), it was not realized that light could possess such a property. We demonstrate that extreme-ultraviolet self-torqued beams arise in high-harmonic generation driven by time-delayed pulses with different OAM. We monitor the self-torque of extreme-ultraviolet beams through their azimuthal frequency chirp. This class of dynamic-OAM beams provides the ability for controlling magnetic, topological, and quantum excitations and for manipulating molecules and nanostructures on their natural time and length scales.

Generation of extreme-ultraviolet beams with time-varying orbital angular momentum

Frequency combs are optical spectra composed of a set of discrete equally spaced lines. Such spectra can be generated by diverse sources such as mode-locked lasers, resonators, or electro-optic modulators. This last possibility has shown a growing interest in the recent years for its advantageous features in providing high repetition rates, intrinsic mutual coherence, or high power per comb lines. Moreover, applications of electro-optic modulator-based combs have flourished in fundamental physics, spectroscopy, or instrumental calibrations. In this paper, we present the most recent progresses made on frequency combs generated by electro-optic modulators, along with the applications where these combs have shown a particular interest.

Electro-optic frequency combs

Advanced cost reduction and performance improvement techniques conceived for Radio Over Fiber (ROF) communications are considered. ROF techniques are expected to form the backbone of the future fifth generation of wireless networks. The achievable link performance and the associated deployment cost constitute the most salient metrics of an ROF architecture. In this paper, we commence by providing a rudimentary overview of the ROF architecture, and then we elaborate on ROF techniques designed for improving the attainable system performance. We conclude by describing the ROF techniques conceived for reducing the ROF system installation costs.

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Performance Improvement and Cost Reduction Techniques for Radio Over Fiber Communications

We have theoretically investigated the transmission performance of the optical millimeter-waves (mm-waves) generated using intensity modulation via a Mach-Zehnder modulator, with the double and single sidebands (DSB and SSB) and optical carrier suppression (OCS) schemes. According to our theoretical analysis, fiber chromatic dispersion leads to fading effect and time shifting of the codes; therefore, signals are greatly degraded. Of all signals, DSB optical mm-wave suffers from both the fading effect and the time shifting of the codes. However, the optical mm-waves generated by SSB and OCS schemes are immune to the fading effect, while the time shifting of the codes limits their transmission distance. Experimental and simulation results confirm the theoretical analysis.

Fiber Dispersion Influence on Transmission of the Optical Millimeter-Waves Generated Using LN-MZM Intensity Modulation

What we believe to be a new scheme to generate an optical millimeter wave with octupling of the local oscillator via a nested LiNbO3 Mach-Zehnder modulator (MZM) is proposed and implemented by numerical simulation. Since the response frequency of the modulator and the local frequency are largely reduced, the bandwidth requirement of the transmitter to the optical and electrical components is reduced greatly. Then, the parameters of the nested modulator are analyzed theoretically, and we find that both the extinction ratio of the MZM and the phase imbalance between its two arms have influence on the performance of the generated optical millimeter wave.

Optical millimeter wave generated by octupling the frequency of the local oscillator

The dual-pump all-optical wavelength conversion based on a four-wave mixing (FWM) in a high-nonlinear dispersion shifted fiber (HNL-DSF) is demonstrated experimentally. The polarization sensitivity of the wavelength converter based on this dual-pump figuration is investigated experimentally and theoretically. The experimental results indicate that the wavelength-conversion configuration with copolarization pumps shows the smallest polarization sensitivity. A model of the beating-wave modulation from the dynamic wave equation is erected to explain the experimental phenomena, and the theoretical analyses agree well with the experimental results.

Wavelength conversion based on four-wave mixing in high-nonlinear dispersion shifted fiber using a dual-pump configuration

Optical mm-wave generation by using external modulator based on optical carrier suppression

Atmospheric turbulence is a major challenge for practical orbital angular momentum (OAM)-based free-space optical (FSO) communication systems that causes intermodal crosstalk and degrades the performance of the system. Herein, we propose a hybrid input-output algorithm (HIOA)-based adaptive optics (AO) system to compensate for distorted OAM beams. The principle and parameters of the HIOA-based AO system in an OAM-based FSO system are analyzed, and the performance is discussed. The simulation results indicate that the HIOA-based AO system can effectively correct distorted OAM beams and that the HIOA improves the compensation performance and convergence speed compared to the traditional Gerchberg-Saxton algorithm. Moreover, we analyze the compensation performance based on different probe beams. Using an OAM beam with state l=1 as a probe beam can yield better correction effects than a Gaussian beam. This work verifies the feasibility of using an HIOA for adaptive turbulence compensation and provides new insights into OAM communication systems.

Jianxin Ma

Papers

Fiber Dispersion Influence on Transmission of the Optical Millimeter-Waves Generated Using LN-MZM Intensity Modulation

Optical millimeter wave generated by octupling the frequency of the local oscillator

Wavelength conversion based on four-wave mixing in high-nonlinear dispersion shifted fiber using a dual-pump configuration

Optical mm-wave generation by using external modulator based on optical carrier suppression

Adaptive turbulence compensation with a hybrid input–output algorithm in orbital angular momentum-based free-space optical communication