Fiber nonlinearity mitigation of WDM-PDM QPSK/16-QAM signals using fiber-optic parametric amplifiers based multiple optical phase conjugations

We demonstrate fiber nonlinearity mitigation by using multiple optical phase conjugations (OPCs) in the WDM transmission systems of both 8 × 32-Gbaud PDM QPSK channels and 8 × 32-Gbaud PDM 16-QAM channels, showing improved performance over a single mid-span OPC and no OPC in terms of nonlinear threshold and a best achievable Q2 factor after transmission. In addition, after an even number of OPCs, the signal wavelength can be preserved after transmission. The performance of multiple OPCs for fiber nonlinearity mitigation was evaluated independently for WDM PDM QPSK signals and WDM PDM 16-QAM signals. The technique of multiple OPCs is proved to be transparent to modulation formats and effective for different transmission links. In the WDM PDM QPSK transmission system over 3600 km, by using multiple OPCs the nonlinear threshold (i.e. optimal signal launched power) was increased by ~5 dB compared to the case of no OPC and increased by ~2 dB compared to the case of mid-span OPC. In the WDM PDM 16-QAM transmission system over 912 km, by using the multiple OPCs the nonlinear threshold was increased by ~7 dB compared to the case of no OPC and increased by ~1 dB compared to the case of midspan OPC. The improvements in the best achievable Q2 factors were more modest, ranging from 0.2 dB to 1.1 dB for the results presented

Broadband fibre parametric amplifiers

This thesis explores the broadband fibre optical parametric amplifiers (FOPAs) to develop the FOPA ability to provide broadband amplification anywhere in the low-loss transmission window and to make FOPA an enabling technology for future ultra-wide bandwidth high-speed optical communications. A number of techniques have been implemented to demonstrate an exceptionally wide and flat FOPA gain of 10.5±0.5 dB over 102 nm bandwidth on a single side of the FOPA pump. A flat gain spectrum is targeted here because FOPA is prone to large gain variation which has a particularly strong negative impact on amplified signals in FOPA. The FOPA dependence on gain fibre length, pump wavelength and pump power has been experimentally investigated. The parametric gain bandwidth enhancement by a forward Raman gain invoked by the same pump has been demonstrated. Gain spectrum shaping by pump polarisation tuning has been explored and has allowed for a significant gain spectrum flatness improvement. A concept of cascading low gain stages has been introduced as a way to achieve a high gain with low variation across a wide bandwidth. It is envisaged that gain of ~20±1.5 dB over >100 nm can be achieved using this approach. Additionally, a reliance of the FOPA on Erbium doped fibre amplifiers (EDFAs) for pump amplification, which restricts the FOPA operating range, has been addressed by demonstrating a high pump power (>1 W) EDFA-free FOPA for the first time. In this experiment a Raman amplification was used instead of an EDFA to amplify the FOPA pump and thus to grant a required flexibility for FOPA operation anywhere in the low-loss transmission window. In summary, this thesis has demonstrated the FOPA ability to provide an ultra-wide amplification an

Multilevel signal processing using phase sensitive amplification

In this thesis we present a study on optical signal regeneration techniques, in particular for quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) modulated signals. After an overview of the available strategies, we focus on phase sensitive (PS) parametric amplification in order to provide all-optical regeneration using fiber optical parametric amplifiers (FOPAs). Two regeneration schemes, one presented in literature and one developed here, are theoretically and numerically investigated. MATLAB® models have been implemented in order to benchmark the performances of the two methods both in terms of phase noise reduction, analyzing the phase standard deviation (std), and of bit error ratio (BER) improvement. At last an investigation on stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS), one of the main limitations to parametric amplification, is reported. A dynamic model of SBS is employed to examine two promising techniques proposed to reduce the impairments caused by Brillouin effects: Aluminum-doped fibers and multi-segment links. Length optimization of a dual-fiber optical link combining these methods is finally discusse

Ultra-flat wideband single-pump Raman-enhanced parametric amplification

We experimentally optimize a single pump fiber optical parametric amplifier in terms of gain spectral bandwidth and gain variation (GV). We find that optimal performance is achieved with the pump tuned to the zero-dispersion wavelength of dispersion stable highly nonlinear fiber (HNLF). We demonstrate further improvement of parametric gain bandwidth and GV by decreasing the HNLF length. We discover that Raman and parametric gain spectra produced by the same pump may be merged together to enhance overall gain bandwidth, while keeping GV low. Consequently, we report an ultra-flat gain of 9.6±0.5 dB over a range of 111 nm (12.8 THz) on one side of the pump. Additionally, we demonstrate amplification of a 60 Gbit/s QPSK signal tuned over a portion of the available bandwidth with OSNR penalty less than 1 dB for Q2 below 14 dB

20 dB net-gain polarization-insensitive fiber optical parametric amplifier with >2 THz bandwidth

A black-box polarization insensitive fiber optical parametric amplifier (PI-FOPA) is characterized for the first time using a commercial 127 Gb/s polarization-division multiplexed PDM-QPSK transponder within a multiplex of twenty-two equivalent DWDM signals across a 2.3 THz bandwidth portion of the C-band. The PI-FOPA employs a recently demonstrated diversity loop arrangement comprising two lengths of highly nonlinear fiber (HNLF) with the parametric pump being removed after the first HNLF in both directions about the loop. This arrangement is named the Half-Pass Loop FOPA or HPL-FOPA. In total, a record equivalent 2.3 Tb/s of data is amplified within the HPL-FOPA for three different pump power regimes producing net-gains of 10 dB, 15 dB and 20 dB (averaged over all signals). For the latter two regimes, the gain bandwidth is observed to extend considerably beyond the C-band, illustrating the potential for this design to amplify signals over bandwidths commensurate with the EDFA and beyond. Under the 15 dB gain condition, the average OSNR penalty to achieve 10−3 bit error rate for all twenty three signals was found to be 0.5 ± 0.3 dB. Worst case penalty was 0.8 ± 0.3 dB, verifying the use of the architecture for polarization insensitive operation. The growth of four-wave mixing signal-signal crosstalk is additionally characterized and found to be gain independent for a fixed output power per signal. A simple effective length model is developed which predicts this behavior and suggests a new configuration for significantly reduced crosstalk

In-line and cascaded DWDM transmission using a 15dB net-gain polarization-insensitive fiber optical parametric amplifier

We demonstrate and characterize polarization-division multiplexed (PDM) DWDM data transmission for the first time in a range of systems incorporating a net-gain polarization-insensitive fiber optical parametric amplifier (PI-FOPA) for loss compensation. The PI-FOPA comprises a modified diversity-loop architecture to achieve 15dB net-gain, and up to 2.3THz (~18nm) bandwidth. Three representative systems are characterized using a 100Gb/s PDM-QPSK signal in conjunction with emulated DWDM neighbouring channels: (a) a 4x75km in-line fiber transmission system incorporating multiple EDFAs and a single PI-FOPA (b) N cascaded PI-FOPA amplification stages in an unlevelled Nx25km recirculating loop arrangement, with no EDFAs used within the loop signal path, and (c) M cascaded PI-FOPA amplification stages as part of an Mx75.6km gain-flattened recirculating loop system with the FOPA compensating for the transmission fiber loss, and EDFA compensation for loop switching and levelling loss. For the 4x75km in-line system (a), we transmit 45x50GHz-spaced signals (‘equivalent’ data-rate of 4.5Tb/s) with average OSNR penalty of 1.3dB over the band at 10−3 BER. For the unlevelled ‘FOPA-only’ 25.2km cascaded system (b), we report a maximum of eight recirculations for all 10x100GHz-spaced signals, and five recirculations for 20x50GHz-spaced signals. For the 75.6km levelled system (c), we achieve eight recirculations for all 20x50GHz signals resulting in a total transmission distance of 604.8km

Kerr nonlinearity mitigation in 5 × 28-GBd PDM 16-QAM signal transmission over a dispersion-uncompensated link with backward-pumped distributed Raman amplification

International audienceWe present experimental and numerical investigations of Kerr nonlinearity compensation in a 400-km standard single-mode fiber link with distributed Raman amplification with backward pumping. A dual-pump polarization-independent fiber-based optical parametric amplifier is used for mid-link spectral inversion of 5 × 28-GBd polarization-multiplexed 16-QAM signals. Signal quality factor (Q-factor) improvements of 1.1 dB and 0.8 dB were obtained in the cases of a single-channel and a five-channel wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) system, respectively. The experimental results are compared to numerical simulations with good agreement. It is also shown with simulations that a maximum transmission reach of 2400 km enabled by the optical phase conjugator is possible for the WDM signal

Fiber-based phase-sensitive optical amplifiers and their applications

Optical parametric amplifiers rely on second-order susceptibility (three-wave mixing) or third-order susceptibility (four-wave mixing) in a nonlinear process where the energy of incoming photons is not changed (elastic scattering). In the latter case, two pump photons are converted to a signal and to an idler photon. Under certain conditions, related to the phase evolution of the waves involved, this conversion can be very effi-cient, resulting in large amplification of an input signal. As the nonlinear process can be very fast, all-optical applications aside from pure amplification are also possible. If the amplifier is implemented in an optical input-phase-sensitive manner, it is possible to amplify a signal wave without excess noise, i.e., with a noise figure of 0 dB. In this paper, we will provide the fundamental concepts and theory of such amplifiers, with a focus on their implementation in highly nonlinear optical fibers relying on four-wave mixing. We will discuss the distinctions between phase-insensitive and phase-sensitive operation and include several experimental results to illustrate their capability. Different applications of parametric amplifiers are also discussed, including their use in optical communication links

Phase-Sensitive Amplification of 28 GBaud DP-QPSK Signal

We demonstrate, for the first time, amplification of a DP-QPSK signal using a vector phase-sensitive amplifier (PSA). The PSA-based receiver shows an about 0.7 dB sensitivity improvement compared to an EDFA-based receiver