We describe a method to estimate the capacity limit of fiber-optic communication systems (or ?fiber channels?) based on information theory. This paper is divided into two parts. Part 1 reviews fundamental concepts of digital communications and information theory. We treat digitization and modulation followed by information theory for channels both without and with memory. We provide explicit relationships between the commonly used signal-to-noise ratio and the optical signal-to-noise ratio. We further evaluate the performance of modulation constellations such as quadrature-amplitude modulation, combinations of amplitude-shift keying and phase-shift keying, exotic constellations, and concentric rings for an additive white Gaussian noise channel using coherent detection. Part 2 is devoted specifically to the "fiber channel.'' We review the physical phenomena present in transmission over optical fiber networks, including sources of noise, the need for optical filtering in optically-routed networks, and, most critically, the presence of fiber Kerr nonlinearity. We describe various transmission scenarios and impairment mitigation techniques, and define a fiber channel deemed to be the most relevant for communication over optically-routed networks. We proceed to evaluate a capacity limit estimate for this fiber channel using ring constellations. Several scenarios are considered, including uniform and optimized ring constellations, different fiber dispersion maps, and varying transmission distances. We further present evidences that point to the physical origin of the fiber capacity limitations and provide a comparison of recent record experiments with our capacity limit estimation.

Capacity Limits of Optical Fiber Networks

Fiber-optic communication systems form the high-capacity transport infrastructure that enables global broadband data services and advanced Internet applications. The desire for higher per-fiber transport capacities and, at the same time, the drive for lower costs per end-to-end transmitted information bit has led to optically routed networks with high spectral efficiencies. Among other enabling technologies, advanced optical modulation formats have become key to the design of modern wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) fiber systems. In this paper, we review optical modulation formats in the broader context of optically routed WDM networks. We discuss the generation and detection of multigigabit/s intensity- and phase-modulated formats, and highlight their resilience to key impairments found in optical networking, such as optical amplifier noise, multipath interference, chromatic dispersion, polarization-mode dispersion, WDM crosstalk, concatenated optical filtering, and fiber nonlinearity

Advanced Optical Modulation Formats

Semiconductor optical amplifiers are useful building blocks for all-optical gates as wavelength converters and OTDM demultiplexers. The paper reviews the progress from simple gates using cross-gain modulation and four-wave mixing to the integrated interferometric gates using cross-phase modulation. These gates are very efficient for high-speed signal processing and open up interesting new areas, such as all-optical regeneration and high-speed all-optical logic functions.

/pdf/semiconductor-optical-amplifier-based-all-optical-gates-for-4wdu6yc0vj.pdf

Semiconductor optical amplifier-based all-optical gates for high-speed optical processing

Feature Issue on
Optical Access Networks (OAN) The passive optical network (PON) is
an optical fiber based network architecture, which can provide much higher bandwidth
in the access network compared to traditional copper-based networks. Incorporating
wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) in a PON allows one to support much higher
bandwidth compared to the standard PON, which operates in the "single-wavelength
mode" where one wavelength is used for upstream transmission and a separate one is
used for downstream transmission. We present a comprehensive review of various
aspects of WDM-PONs proposed in the literature. This includes enabling device
technologies for WDM-PONs and network architectures, as well as the corresponding
protocols and services that may be deployed on a WDM-PON. The WDM-PON will become a
revolutionary and scalable broadband access technology that will provide high
bandwidth to end users.

/pdf/wavelength-division-multiplexed-passive-optical-network-wdm-428jyy569l.pdf

Wavelength-division-multiplexed passive optical network (WDM-PON) technologies for broadband access: a review (Invited)

Advanced optical modulation formats have become a key ingredient to the design of modern wavelength-division-multiplexed (WDM) optically routed networks. In this paper, we review the generation and detection of multigigabit/second intensity- and phase-modulated formats and highlight their resilience to key impairments found in optical networking, such as optical amplifier noise, chromatic dispersion, polarization-mode dispersion, WDM crosstalk, concatenated optical filtering, and fiber nonlinearity

Advanced Modulation Formats for High-Capacity Optical Transport Networks

First all-optical 100 Gbit/s wavelength conversion employing cross-phase modulation is demonstrated with a recently introduced completely integrated and packaged delayed-interference configuration.

100 Gbit/s All-Optical Wavelength Conversion with an Integrated SOA Delayed-Interference Configuration

The authors report all-optical 100 Gbit/s wavelength conversion employing cross-phase modulation for the first time

100 Gbit/s all-optical wavelength conversion with integrated SOA delayed-interference configuration

By using optical injection near the transparency wavelength of semiconductor optical amplifiers, we show experimentally that both the saturation output power and the gain recovery can be greatly improved. By injecting 80 mW of pump power, we observe a 3-dB increase in saturation output power. For 73 mW of pump power, we find a reduction in gain recovery time from over 200 ps down to below 40 ps, while maintaining 14 dB of fiber-to-fiber gain at 1555-nm wavelength.

Acceleration of gain recovery in semiconductor optical amplifiers by optical injection near transparency wavelength

Clock recovery from a 160 Gbit/s optical time-division-multiplexed data stream is experimentally demonstrated using an electroabsorption modulator-based phase-locked loop. The recovered clock signal exhibits excellent stability. With an RMS timing jitter of <230 fs, a dynamic range of 25 dB, and a locking range of 16 MHz.

160 Gbit/s clock recovery using electroabsorption modulator-based phase-locked loop

Single-channel transmission at 320 Gb/s is demonstrated over record length of 200 km of nonzero-dispersion fiber. Typical terrestrial amplifier spacing of 100 km is achieved by using pseudolinear transmission and distributed Raman amplification. Stable semiconductor electroabsorption modulators are used in the transmitter, demultiplexer, and clock recovery, and uncorrelated multiplexing is employed in the OTDM transmitter.

K. Dreyer

Papers

100 Gbit/s All-Optical Wavelength Conversion with an Integrated SOA Delayed-Interference Configuration

100 Gbit/s all-optical wavelength conversion with integrated SOA delayed-interference configuration

Acceleration of gain recovery in semiconductor optical amplifiers by optical injection near transparency wavelength

160 Gbit/s clock recovery using electroabsorption modulator-based phase-locked loop

320-Gb/s single-channel pseudolinear transmission over 200 km of nonzero-dispersion fiber