Cross-Layer Platform for Dynamic, Energy-Efficient Optical Networks

The design of the next-generation Internet infrastructure is driven by the need to sustain the massive growth in bandwidth demands. Novel, energy-efficient, optical networking technologies and architectures are required to effectively meet the stringent performance requirements with low cost and ultrahigh energy efficiencies. In this thesis, a cross-layer communications platform is proposed to enable greater intelligence and functionality on the physical layer. Providing the optical layer with advanced networking capabilities will facilitate the dynamic management and optimization of optical switching based on performance monitoring measurements and higher-layer attributes. The cross-layer platform aims to create a new framework for networks to incorporate packet-scale measurement subsystems and techniques for monitoring the health of the optical channel. This will allow for quality-of-service- and energy-aware routing schemes, as well as an enhanced awareness of the optical data signals. This thesis first presents the design and development of an optical packet switching fabric. Leveraging a networking test-bed environment to validate networking hypotheses, advanced switching functionalities are demonstrated, including the support for quality-of-service based routing and packet multicasting. The investigated cross-layering is based on emerging optical technologies, enabling packet protection techniques and packet-rate switching fabric reconfiguration. Coupled with fast performance monitoring, the platform will achieve significant performance gains within the endeavor of all-optical switching. Allowing for a more intelligent, programmable optical layer aims to support greater flexibility with respect to bandwidth allocation and potentially a significant reduction in the network's energy consumption. The ultimate deliverable of this work is a high-performance, cross-layer enabled optical network node. The experimental demonstration of an initial prototype creates a dynamic network element with distributed control plane management, featuring fast packet-rate optical switching capabilities and embedded physical-layer performance monitoring modules. The cross-layer box enables an intelligent traffic delivery system that can dynamically manipulate optical switching on a packet-granular scale. With the goal of achieving advanced multi-layer routing and control algorithms, the network node requires an intelligent co-optimization across all the layers. The proposed cross-layer design should drive optical technologies and architectures in an innovative way, in order to fulfill the void between the design of basic photonic devices and the networking protocols that use them. The performance of the entire network -- from the optical components, to the routing algorithms and user applications -- should be optimized in concert. This contribution to the area of cross-layer network design creates an adaptable optical pipe that is extremely flexible and intelligent aware of both the physical optical signals and higher-layer requirements. The impact of this work will be seen in the realization of dynamic, energy-efficient optical communication links in future networking infrastructures

Survivability aspects of future optical backbone networks

In huidige glasvezelnetwerken kan een enkele vezel een gigantische hoeveelheid data dragen, ruwweg het equivalent van 25 miljoen gelijktijdige telefoongesprekken. Hierdoor zullen netwerkstoringen, zoals breuken van een glasvezelkabel, de communicatie van een groot aantal eindgebruikers verstoren. Netwerkoperatoren kiezen er dan ook voor om hun netwerk zo te bouwen dat zulke grote storingen automatisch opgevangen worden. Dit proefschrift spitst zich toe op twee aspecten rond de overleefbaarheid in toekomstige optische netwerken. De eerste doelstelling die beoogd wordt is het tot stand brengen vanrobuuste dataverbindingen over meerdere netwerken. Door voldoende betrouwbare verbindingen tot stand te brengen over een infrastructuur die niet door een enkele entiteit wordt beheerd kan men bv. weredwijd Internettelevisie van hoge kwaliteit aanbieden. De bestudeerde oplossing heeft niet enkel tot doel om deze zeer betrouwbare verbinding te berekenen, maar ook om dit te bewerkstelligen met een minimum aan gebruikte netwerkcapaciteit. De tweede doelstelling was om een antwoord te formuleren om de vraag hoe het toepassen van optische schakelsystemen gebaseerd op herconfigureerbare optische multiplexers een impact heeft op de overleefbaarheid van een optisch netwerk. Bij lagere volumes hebben optisch geschakelde netwerken weinig voordeel van dergelijke gesofistikeerde methoden. Elektronisch geschakelde netwerken vertonen geen afhankelijkheid van het datavolume en hebben altijd baat bij optimalisatie

Trace-Orthogonal PPM-Space Time Block Coding Under Rate Constraints for Visible Light Communication

Visible light communications (VLC) represents a new frontier of communications allowing high data-rate Internet access, specially in indoor environments, where the use of light emitting diodes (LEDs) is growing as a viable alternative to traditional illumination. As a result, LED output intensity can be varied faster than human eye can perceive, thus guaranteeing simultaneous wireless communications and illumination. One of the key challenges is the limited modulation bandwidth of sources that is typically around several MHz. The use of multiple input and multiple output (MIMO) techniques in optical wireless system helps to increase the capacity of the system and thus improve the system performance. In this paper, we investigate the use of an optical MIMO technique jointly with pulse position modulation (PPM) in order to improve the data rates without reducing the reliability of the link. PPM is known to be signal-to-noise ratio efficient modulation format, while it is bandwidth inefficient so the use of MIMO can compensate that drawback with reasonable complexity. Furthermore, an offline tool for VLC system planning, including error probability and transmission rate, has been proposed in order to solve the tradeoff between transmission rate and error rate. Finally, several numerical results and performance comparisons are reported

Tecnologias coerentes para redes ópticas flexíveis

Next-generation networks enable a broad range of innovative services with the best delivery by utilizing very dense wired/wireless networks. However, the development of future networks will require several breakthroughs in optical networks such as high-performance optical transceivers to support a very-high capacity optical network as well as optimization of the network concept, ensuring a dramatic reduction of the cost per bit. At the same time, all of the optical network segments (metro, access, long-haul) need new technology options to support high capacity, spectral efficiency and data-rate flexibility. Coherent detection offers an opportunity by providing very high sensitivity and supporting high spectral efficiency. Coherent technology can still be combined with polarization multiplexing. Despite the increased cost and complexity, the migration to dual-polarization coherent transceivers must be considered, as it enables to double the spectral efficiency. These dual-polarization systems require an additional digital signal processing (DSP) subsystem for polarization demultiplexing. This work seeks to provide and characterize cost-effective novel coherent transceivers for the development of new generation practical, flexible and high capacity transceivers for optical metro-access and data center interconnects. In this regard, different polarization demultiplexing (PolDemux) algorithms, as well as adaptive Stokes will be considered. Furthermore, low complexity and modulation format-agnostic DSP techniques based on adaptive Stokes PolDemux for flexible and customizable optical coherent systems will be proposed. On this subject, the performance of the adaptive Stokes algorithm in an ultra-dense wavelength division multiplexing (U-DWDM) system will be experimentally evaluated, in offline and real-time operations over a hybrid optical-wireless link. In addition, the efficiency of this PolDemux algorithm in a flexible optical metro link based on Nyquist pulse shaping U-DWDM system and hybrid optical signals will be assessed. Moreover, it is of great importance to find a transmission technology that enables to apply the Stokes PolDemux for long-haul transmission systems and data center interconnects. In this work, it is also proposed a solution based on the use of digital multi-subcarrier multiplexing, which improve the performance of long-haul optical systems, without increasing substantially, their complexity and cost.As redes de telecomunicações futuras permitirão uma ampla gama de serviços inovadores e com melhor desempenho. No entanto, o desenvolvimento das futuras redes implicará vários avanços nas redes de fibra ótica, como transcetores óticos de alto desempenho capazes de suportar ligações de muito elevada capacidade, e a otimização da estrutura da rede, permitindo uma redução drástica do custo por bit transportado. Simultaneamente, todos os segmentos de rede ótica (metropolitanas, acesso e longo alcance) necessitam de novas opções tecnológicas para suportar uma maior capacidade, maior eficiência espetral e flexibilidade. Neste contexto, a deteção coerente surge como uma oportunidade, fornecendo alta sensibilidade e elevada eficiência espetral. A tecnologia de deteção coerente pode ainda ser associada à multiplexação na polarização. Apesar de um potencial aumento ao nível do custo e da complexidade, a migração para transcetores coerentes de dupla polarização deve ser ponderada, pois permite duplicar a eficiência espetral. Esses sistemas de dupla polarização requerem um subsistema de processamento digital de sinal (DSP) adicional para desmultiplexagem da polarização. Este trabalho procura fornecer e caracterizar novos transcetores coerentes de baixo custo para o desenvolvimento de uma nova geração de transcetores mais práticos, flexíveis e de elevada capacidade, para interconexões óticas ao nível das futuras redes de acesso e metro. Assim, serão analisados diferentes algoritmos para a desmultiplexagem da polarização, incluindo uma abordagem adaptativa baseada no espaço de Stokes. Além disso, são propostas técnicas de DSP independentes do formato de modulação e de baixa complexidade baseadas na desmultiplexagem de Stokes adaptativa para sistemas óticos coerentes flexíveis. Neste contexto, o desempenho do algoritmo adaptativo de desmultiplexagem na polarização baseado no espaço de Stokes é avaliado experimentalmente num sistema U-DWDM, tanto em análises off-line como em tempo real, considerando um percurso ótico hibrido que combina um sistema de transmissão suportado por fibra e outro em espaço livre. Foi ainda analisada a eficiência do algoritmo de desmultiplexagem na polarização numa rede ótica de acesso flexível U-DWDM com formatação de pulso do tipo Nyquist. Neste trabalho foi ainda analisada a aplicação da técnica de desmultiplexagem na polarização baseada no espaço de Stokes para sistemas de longo alcance. Assim, foi proposta uma solução de aplicação baseada no uso da multiplexagem digital de múltiplas sub-portadoras, tendo-se demonstrado uma melhoria na eficiência do desempenho dos sistemas óticos de longo alcance, sem aumentar significativamente a respetiva complexidade e custo.Programa Doutoral em Engenharia Eletrotécnic