The Impact of Polarization-Dependent Loss on the Constant Modulus Algorithm for Varying Number of Fiber Spans Based on an Outage Criterion

We investigate the effect of polarization-dependent loss (PDL) on the constant modulus algorithm (CMA) in 4-QAM and 16-QAM polarization multiplexed (PolMux) systems with varying number of fiber spans and different PDL values. To quantify this effect, outage probability is introduced as the probability of having a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) degradation smaller than 1 dB 99% of the time. We observe that by increasing the number of fiber spans, the SNR penalty for CMA reaches a limiting value. Moreover, in the 16-QAM multi-span case, the effect of PDL on CMA depends on the amount of PDL, while for 4-QAM, the effect of PDL on CMA is insensitive to the amount of PDL. These results will provide guidelines for designing systems and adjusting transmission power

Simulation methods for the temporal and frequency dynamics of optical communication systems

I examine two methods for modeling the temporal dynamics of optical communication networks that rapidly and accurately simulate the statistics of unlikely but physically significant system configurations. First, I implement a fiber emulator based upon a random uniform walk over the Poincaré sphere that reproduces the expected polarization temporal autocorrelation statistics with a small number of emulator sections. While easy to implement numerically, the increased computational efficiency afforded by this approach allow simulations of the PMD temporal dynamics to be preferentially biased towards regions of low probability using standard multicanonical methods for the first time. Then, in a subsequent study, I present a general transition matrix formalism that additionally applies to other time-dependent communication systems. I compare the numerical accuracy of several transition matrix sampling techniques and show that straightforward modifications of the acceptance rule can significantly increase computational efficiency if the numerical parameters are chosen to ensure a small self-transition probability within each discretized histogram bin. The general applicability of the transition matrix method is then demonstrated by calculating the outage dynamics associated with the hinge model of polarization evolution and, separately, fading in wireless communication channels. Further, I develop a Magnus expansion formalism for the rapid and accurate estimation of the frequency dynamics of optical polarization that extends the work of Ref.[94] to systems with PMD and PDL. My approach reproduces the power-series expansion and differential equation solution techniques of previous authors while also preserving the required symmetries of the exact solution in every expansion order. This significantly improves the bandwidth of high estimation accuracy, making this method well-suited to the stochastic analysis of PMD and PDL induced system penalty while also yielding physically realizable operator expansions applicable to the joint compensation of PMD and PDL. Finally, I employ high-speed polarimetery to demonstrate experimentally that low-amplitude mechanical excitations of commercially available dispersion compensation modules can excite high-frequency, > 75,000 rotations/s, polarization transients that are nearly invariant between successive measurements. I extend this procedure to measurements of the transient evolution of PMD

Techniques émergentes de codage espace-temps pour les systèmes de communications optiques

Research in the field of optical fiber communications is advancing at a rapid pace in order to meet the growing needs for higher data rates. The main driving forces behind these advancements are the availability of multiple degrees of freedom in the optical fiber allowing for multiplexing more data: amplitude, phase and polarization state of the optical field, along with time and wavelength are already used in the deployed optical transmission systems. Yet, these systems are approaching their theoretical capacity limits and an extra dimension "space" is investigated to achieve the next capacity leap. However, packing several data channels in the same medium brings with it differential impairments and crosstalk that can seriously deteriorate the performance of the system. In this thesis, we focus on recent optical MIMO schemes based on polarization division multiplexing (PDM) and space division multiplexing (SDM). In both, we assess the performance penalties induced by non-unitary crosstalk and loss disparities among the channels arising from imperfections in the used optical components (fibers, amplifiers, multiplexers...), and suggest novel MIMO coding techniques known as Space-Time (ST) codes, initially designed for wireless multi-antenna channels, to mitigate them.La recherche dans le domaine des communications sur fibres optiques avance à un rythme rapide afin de satisfaire des demandes croissantes de communications à débits élevés. Les principaux moteurs de ces avancements sont la multitude de degrés de liberté offerts par la fibre permettant ainsi la transmission de plus de données: l'amplitude, la phase et l'état de polarisation du champ optique, ainsi que le temps et la longueur d'onde sont déjà utilisés dans les systèmes de transmission optique déployés. Pourtant, ces systèmes s'approchent de leur limite fondamentale de capacité et un degré supplémentaire: "la dimension spatiale" est étudié pour réaliser un saut qualitatif majeur en termes de capacité de transmission. Cependant, l'insertion de plusieurs flux de données dans le même canal de propagation induit également des pertes différentielles et de la diaphonie entre les flux, ce qui peut fortement réduire la qualité du système de transmission. Dans cette thèse, nous nous concentrons sur les systèmes de transmission optique de type MIMO basés sur un multiplexage en polarisation ou en modes de propagation. Dans les deux cas, nous évaluons la dégradation de la performance provoquée par une interférence inter-canaux non-unitaire et des disparités de gain entre les canaux engendrées par des imperfections dans les composants optiques utilisés (fibres, amplificateurs, multiplexeurs...), et proposons pour les combattre, de nouvelles techniques de codage pour les systèmes MIMO nommées "codes Spatio-Temporels" (ST), préalablement conçues pour les systèmes radios multi-antennaires

Observing and Modeling the Physical Layer Phenomena in Open Optical Systems for Network planning and management

L'abstract è presente nell'allegato / the abstract is in the attachmen

Advanced DSP Techniques for High-Capacity and Energy-Efficient Optical Fiber Communications

The rapid proliferation of the Internet has been driving communication networks closer and closer to their limits, while available bandwidth is disappearing due to an ever-increasing network load. Over the past decade, optical fiber communication technology has increased per fiber data rate from 10 Tb/s to exceeding 10 Pb/s. The major explosion came after the maturity of coherent detection and advanced digital signal processing (DSP). DSP has played a critical role in accommodating channel impairments mitigation, enabling advanced modulation formats for spectral efficiency transmission and realizing flexible bandwidth. This book aims to explore novel, advanced DSP techniques to enable multi-Tb/s/channel optical transmission to address pressing bandwidth and power-efficiency demands. It provides state-of-the-art advances and future perspectives of DSP as well

Real-time Digital Signal Processing for Software-defined Optical Transmitters and Receivers

A software-defined optical Tx is designed and demonstrated generating signals with various formats and pulse-shapes in real-time. Special pulse-shapes such as OFDM or Nyquist signaling were utilized resulting in a highly efficient usage of the available fiber channel bandwidth. This was achieved by parallel data processing with high-end FPGAs. Furthermore, highly efficient Rx algorithms for carrier and timing recovery as well as for polarization demultiplexing were developed and investigated

Optical Communication

Optical communication is very much useful in telecommunication systems, data processing and networking. It consists of a transmitter that encodes a message into an optical signal, a channel that carries the signal to its desired destination, and a receiver that reproduces the message from the received optical signal. It presents up to date results on communication systems, along with the explanations of their relevance, from leading researchers in this field. The chapters cover general concepts of optical communication, components, systems, networks, signal processing and MIMO systems. In recent years, optical components and other enhanced signal processing functions are also considered in depth for optical communications systems. The researcher has also concentrated on optical devices, networking, signal processing, and MIMO systems and other enhanced functions for optical communication. This book is targeted at research, development and design engineers from the teams in manufacturing industry, academia and telecommunication industries

Digital techniques for ultra-high data rate optical fibre transmission

The exponential growth of the demand for higher data rates is pushing scientists to find ways to improve the internet infrastructure, which crucially relies on optical fibres. The main obstacle to increasing transmission rates of optical fibre systems is presented by the fibre Kerr nonlinear effect, which impairs signal transmission as the transmitted power is increased. Fortunately, optical coherent detection, in combination with digital signal processing techniques, have enabled more sophisticated digital receivers, tailored to the optical fibre channel. This thesis describes a comprehensive study on the performance of two digital receiver-side techniques: digital back-propagation (DBP) and maximum likelihood sequence detection (MLSD). DBP is the most widespread digital technique to mitigate fibre nonlinearity at the receiver. The performance of DBP, is assessed for long-haul, wide-bandwidth systems, highlighting theoretical gains and practical limitations. Analytical models to predict DBP performance are discussed and compared to numerical results. The impact of polarisation-mode dispersion on the capability of DBP to remove nonlinear impairments is investigated. The principles of detection theory are discussed in the context of the optical fibre nonlinear channel. Following such principles, MLSD strategies are studied and their performance analysed for unrepeatered systems. A close to optimum receiver scheme, using the Viterbi algorithm, is proposed and investigated for the first time in a singlespan fibre system. Finally, information-theoretic tools are used to predict achievable information rates of both receiver schemes, when employed in combination with forward error correction codes. In particular, pragmatic coded modulation schemes were examined to assess the potential of off-the-shelf channel codes. Both receiving strategies analysed were demonstrated to significantly outperform conventional receivers optimised for the additive white Gaussian noise channel. The results of this thesis provide a useful insight on the properties of the optical fibre channel and on the design of receivers aiming to maximise information rates through it

Digital and Optical Compensation of Signal Impairments for Optical Communication Receivers

Ph.DDOCTOR OF PHILOSOPH

High spectral efficiency transmission using optical frequency combs

Modern long-haul optical communication systems transmit data on all available single-mode fiber dimensions, time, polarization, wavelength, phase and amplitude. Powerful digital signal processing and forward error correction has pushed the per-channel throughput towards its theoretical limits and the bandwidth is limited by the erbium-doped fiber amplifiers. Maximizing the spectral efficiency (SE), i.e. the throughput normalized to bandwidth, is therefore of indisputable importance. Even more so in optical networks as large routing guard-bands drastically reduce the SE of traditional WDM systems. Flex-grid networks with optical superchannels can overcome this limitation. Superchannels consist of multiple tightly packed WDM channels routed as a unit. A comb-based superchannel is formed by encoding independent information onto lines from an optical frequency comb, a multi-wavelength light source fully determined by its center frequency and line spacing. This thesis studies the generation, transmission and detection of comb-based superchannels. Focus is on profiting from unique frequency comb properties to realize systems with capabilities beyond that of conventional systems using arrays of independent lasers. Digital, analog and optical processing schemes are proposed, and combined, to increase the system SE. Superchannel modulation is investigated and a scheme capable of encoding independent information onto the lines from a frequency comb in a single waveguide structure is demonstrated. By combining overhead-optimized pilot-based DSP with a 22GHz-spaced soliton microcomb, superchannel transmission with record SE for distances up to 3000km is realized, closing the performance gap between chip-scale and bulk-optic combs in optical communications. The use of two optical pilot tones (PTs) to phase-lock a transmitter and receiver comb pair is studied, realizing self-homodyne detection of a 50x20Gbaud PM-64QAM superchannel with 4% pilot overhead. The PT gains are furthermore analyzed and a complexity-performance trade-off using a single PT and low complexity DSP is proposed. The scheme is used to demonstrate 12bits/s/Hz SE over the full C-band using 3x50xGBaud PM-256QAM superchannels and DSP-complexity reduction at distances exceeding 1000km is shown. Finally, a comb-enabled multi-channel joint equalization scheme capable of mitigating inter-channel crosstalk and thereby minimizing the SE loss from spectral guard bands is demonstrated