This Review summarizes the simultaneous transmission of several independent spatial channels of light along optical fibres to expand the data-carrying capacity of optical communications. Recent results achieved in both multicore and multimode optical fibres are documented.

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Space-division multiplexing in optical fibres

In this paper, we review the background and state-of-the-art of big data. We first introduce the general background of big data and review related technologies, such as could computing, Internet of Things, data centers, and Hadoop. We then focus on the four phases of the value chain of big data, i.e., data generation, data acquisition, data storage, and data analysis. For each phase, we introduce the general background, discuss the technical challenges, and review the latest advances. We finally examine the several representative applications of big data, including enterprise management, Internet of Things, online social networks, medial applications, collective intelligence, and smart grid. These discussions aim to provide a comprehensive overview and big-picture to readers of this exciting area. This survey is concluded with a discussion of open problems and future directions.

Big Data: A Survey

Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) is a modulation technique which is now used in most new and emerging broadband wired and wireless communication systems because it is an effective solution to intersymbol interference caused by a dispersive channel. Very recently a number of researchers have shown that OFDM is also a promising technology for optical communications. This paper gives a tutorial overview of OFDM highlighting the aspects that are likely to be important in optical applications. To achieve good performance in optical systems OFDM must be adapted in various ways. The constraints imposed by single mode optical fiber, multimode optical fiber and optical wireless are discussed and the new forms of optical OFDM which have been developed are outlined. The main drawbacks of OFDM are its high peak to average power ratio and its sensitivity to phase noise and frequency offset. The impairments that these cause are described and their implications for optical systems discussed.

OFDM for Optical Communications

The sustained growth of data traffic volume calls for an introduction of an efficient and scalable transport platform for links of 100 Gb/s and beyond in the future optical network. In this article, after briefly reviewing the existing major technology options, we propose a novel, spectrum- efficient, and scalable optical transport network architecture called SLICE. The SLICE architecture enables sub-wavelength, superwavelength, and multiple-rate data traffic accommodation in a highly spectrum-efficient manner, thereby providing a fractional bandwidth service. Dynamic bandwidth variation of elastic optical paths provides network operators with new business opportunities offering cost-effective and highly available connectivity services through time-dependent bandwidth sharing, energy-efficient network operation, and highly survivable restoration with bandwidth squeezing. We also discuss an optical orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing-based flexible-rate transponder and a bandwidth-variable wavelength cross-connect as the enabling technologies of SLICE concept. Finally, we present the performance evaluation and technical challenges that arise in this new network architecture.

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Spectrum-efficient and scalable elastic optical path network: architecture, benefits, and enabling technologies

Optical networks are undergoing significant changes, fueled by the exponential growth of traffic due to multimedia services and by the increased uncertainty in predicting the sources of this traffic due to the ever changing models of content providers over the Internet. The change has already begun: simple on-off modulation of signals, which was adequate for bit rates up to 10 Gb/s, has given way to much more sophisticated modulation schemes for 100 Gb/s and beyond. The next bottleneck is the 10-year-old division of the optical spectrum into a fixed "wavelength grid," which will no longer work for 400 Gb/s and above, heralding the need for a more flexible grid. Once both transceivers and switches become flexible, a whole new elastic optical networking paradigm is born. In this article we describe the drivers, building blocks, architecture, and enabling technologies for this new paradigm, as well as early standardization efforts.

Elastic optical networking: a new dawn for the optical layer?

Coherent optical OFDM (CO-OFDM) has recently been proposed and the proof-of-concept transmission experiments have shown its extreme robustness against chromatic dispersion and polarization mode dispersion. In this paper, we first review the theoretical fundamentals for CO-OFDM and its channel model in a 2x2 MIMO-OFDM representation. We then present various design choices for CO-OFDM systems and perform the nonlinearity analysis for RF-to-optical up-converter. We also show the receiver-based digital signal processing to mitigate self-phase-modulation (SPM) and Gordon-Mollenauer phase noise, which is equivalent to the midspan phase conjugation.

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Coherent optical OFDM: theory and design.

Coherent optical orthogonal frequency division multiplexing is proposed to combat dispersion in optical media. It is shown that optical-signal-to-noise ratio penalty at 10 Gbit/s is maintained below 2 dB for 3000 km transmission of standard-singlemode fibre without dispersion compensation.

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Coherent optical orthogonal frequency division multiplexing

The first book on optical OFDM by the leading pioneers in the field. The only book to cover error correction codes for optical OFDM. It gives applications of OFDM to free-space communications, optical access networks, and metro and log haul transports show optical OFDM can be implemented. It contains introductions to signal processing for optical engineers and optical communication fundamentals for wireless engineers. This book gives a coherent and comprehensive introduction to the fundamentals of OFDM signal processing, with a distinctive focus on its broad range of applications. It evaluates the architecture, design and performance of a number of OFDM variations, discusses coded OFDM, and gives a detailed study of error correction codes for access networks, 100 Gb/s Ethernet and future optical networks. The emerging applications of optical OFDM, including single-mode fiber transmission, multimode fiber transmission, free space optical systems, and optical access networks are examined, with particular attention paid to passive optical networks, radio-over-fiber, WiMAX and UWB communications. Written by two of the leading contributors to the field, this book will be a unique reference for optical communications engineers and scientists. Students, technical managers and telecom executives seeking to understand this new technology for future-generation optical networks will find the book invaluable. William Shieh is an associate professor and reader in the electrical and electronic engineering department, The University of Melbourne, Australia. He received his M.S. degree in electrical engineering and Ph.D. degree in physics both from University of Southern California. Ivan Djordjevic is an Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Arizona, Tucson, where he directs the Optical Communications Systems Laboratory (OCSL). His current research interests include optical networks, error control coding, constrained coding, coded modulation, turbo equalization, OFDM applications, and quantum error correction. 'This wonderful book is the first one to address the rapidly emerging optical OFDM field. Written by two leading researchers in the field, the book is structured to comprehensively cover any optical OFDM aspect one could possibly think of, from the most fundamental to the most specialized. The book adopts a coherent line of presentation, while striking a thoughtful balance between the various topics, gradually developing the optical-physics and communication-theoretic concepts required for deep comprehension of the topic, eventually treating the multiple optical OFDM methods, variations and applications. In my view, this book will remain relevant for many years to come, and will be increasingly accessed by graduate students, accomplished researchers as well as telecommunication engineers and managers keen to attain a perspective on the emerging role of OFDM in the evolution of photonic networks' - Prof. Moshe Nazarathy, EE Dept., Technion, Israel Institute of Technology.

Coherent optical OFDM (CO-OFDM) has emerged as an attractive modulation format for the forthcoming 100 Gb/s Ethernet. However, even the spectral-efficient implementation of CO-OFDM requires digital-to-analog converters (DAC) and analog-to-digital converters (ADC) to operate at the bandwidth which may not be available today or may not be cost-effective. In order to resolve the electronic bandwidth bottleneck associated with DAC/ADC devices, we propose and elucidate the principle of orthogonal-band-multiplexed OFDM (OBM-OFDM) to subdivide the entire OFDM spectrum into multiple orthogonal bands. With this scheme, the DAC/ADCs do not need to operate at extremely high sampling rate. The corresponding mapping to the mixed-signal integrated circuit (IC) design is also revealed. Additionally, we show the proof-of-concept transmission experiment through optical realization of OBM-OFDM. To the best of our knowledge, we present the first experimental demonstration of 107 Gb/s QPSK-encoded CO-OFDM signal transmission over 1000 km standard-single- mode-fiber (SSMF) without optical dispersion compensation and without Raman amplification. The demonstrated system employs 2x2 MIMO-OFDM signal processing and achieves high electrical spectral efficiency with direct-conversion at both transmitter and receiver.

107 Gb/s coherent optical OFDM transmission over 1000-km SSMF fiber using orthogonal band multiplexing

A 1-Tb/s single-channel coherent optical OFDM (CO-OFDM) signal consisting of continuous 4,104 spectrally-overlapped subcarriers is generated using a novel device of recirculating frequency shifter (RFS) The RFS produces 3206-GHz wide spectrum using a single laser with superior flatness and tone-to-noise ratio (TNR) The 1-Tb/s CO-OFDM signal is comprised of 36 uncorrelated orthogonal bands achieved by adjusting the delay of the RFS to an integer number of OFDM symbol periods The 1- Tb/s CO-OFDM signal with a spectral efficiency of 33 bit/s/Hz is successfully received after transmission over 600-km SSMF fiber without either Raman amplification or dispersion compensation

William Shieh

Papers

Coherent optical OFDM: theory and design.

Coherent optical orthogonal frequency division multiplexing

OFDM for Optical Communications

107 Gb/s coherent optical OFDM transmission over 1000-km SSMF fiber using orthogonal band multiplexing

1-Tb/s single-channel coherent optical OFDM transmission over 600-km SSMF fiber with subwavelength bandwidth access.