Linewidth Tolerance for THz Communication Systems Using Phase Estimation Algorithm

This paper presents the impact of signal linewidth on photonic THz wireless systems using phase estimation (PE) algorithms at the receiver. The penalty associated with signal linewidth, as well as the optical linewidth requirements for systems using free-running lasers are evaluated using extensive Monte Carlo simulations for different modulation formats. The BER performance and power penalty induced by signal linewidth are also measured experimentally by varying the linewidth of the local oscillator laser. Simulation and experimental results show similar penalty trends. Differences between them are likely to be due to impairments not considered in the simulations and the THz signal linewidth being bigger than the sum of the optical linewidths of the two free-running lasers used in the experiment

Modelling and measurement of the absolute level of power radiated by antenna integrated THz UTC photodiodes

We determine the output impedance of uni-travelling carrier (UTC) photodiodes at frequencies up to 400 GHz by performing, for the first time, 3D full-wave modelling of detailed UTC photodiode structures. In addition, we demonstrate the importance of the UTC impedance evaluation, by using it in the prediction of the absolute power radiated by an antenna integrated UTC, over a broad frequency range and confirming the predictions by experimental measurements up to 185 GHz. This is done by means of 3D full-wave modelling and is only possible since the source (UTC) to antenna impedance match is properly taken into account. We also show that, when the UTC-to-antenna coupling efficiency is modelled using the classical junction-capacitance/series-resistance concept, calculated and measured levels of absolute radiated power are in substantial disagreement, and the maximum radiated power is overestimated by a factor of almost 7 dB. The ability to calculate the absolute emitted power correctly enables the radiated power to be maximised through optimisation of the UTC-to-antenna impedance match

Accurate equivalent circuit model for millimetre-wave UTC photodiodes

We present a comprehensive study of uni-travelling carrier photodiode impedance and frequency photo-response supported by measurements up to 110 GHz. The results of this investigation provide valuable new information for the optimisation of the coupling efficiency between UTC-PDs and THz antennas. We show that the measured impedance cannot be explained employing the standard junction-capacitance/series-resistance concept and propose a new model for the observed effects, which exhibits good agreement with the experimental data. The achieved knowledge of the photodiode impedance will allow the absolute level of power emitted by antenna integrated UTCs to be predicted and ultimately maximised

100 Gb/s Multicarrier THz Wireless Transmission System With High Frequency Stability Based on A Gain-Switched Laser Comb Source

We propose and experimentally demonstrate a photonic multichannel terahertz (THz) wireless system with up to four optical subcarriers and total capacity as high as 100 Gb/s by employing an externally injected gain-switched laser comb source. Highly coherent multiple optical carriers with different spacing are produced using the gain switching technique. Single- and multichannel Terahertz (THz) wireless signals are generated using heterodyne mixing of modulated single or multiple carriers with one unmodulated optical tone spaced by about 200 GHz. The frequency stability and the phase noise of the gain switched comb laser are evaluated against free-running lasers. Wireless transmission is demonstrated for single and three optical subcarriers modulated with 8 or 10 GBd quadrature phase-shift keying (QPSK) (48 or 60 Gb/s, respectively) or for four optical subcarriers modulated with 12.5 GBd QPSK (100 Gb/s). The system performance was evaluated for single- and multicarrier wireless THz transmissions at around 200 GHz, with and without 40 km fiber transmission. The system is also modeled to study the effect of the cross talk between neighboring subcarriers for correlated and decorrelated data. This system reduces digital signal processing requirements due to the high-frequency stability of the gain-switched comb source, increases the overall transmission rate, and relaxes the optoelectronic bandwidth requirements

Risk factors for leaving employment due to multiple sclerosis and changes in risk over the past decades: using competing risk survival analysis

Background: No studies have assessed changes in employment survival in multiple sclerosis (MS) populations over recent decades, including the introduction of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs). Objectives: To evaluate factors associated with leaving employment due to MS; to assess whether the risk of leaving employment has changed over recent decades in Australia, stratified by MS phenotype. Methods: We included 1240 participants who were working before MS diagnosis. Information on employment status, reasons for leaving employment and year of leaving were collected. Data were analysed using competing risk survival analysis. Results: Males, progressive MS, lower education level and older age at diagnosis were associated with a higher sub-distribution hazard of leaving employment. Compared to the period before 2010, the sub-distribution hazard during 2010-2016 for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) was reduced by 43% (sub-distribution hazard ratio (sHR) 0.67, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.50 to 0.90), while no significant reduction was seen for primary-progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) (sHR 1.25, 95% CI: 0.72 to 2.16) or secondary-progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) (sHR 1.37, 95% CI: 0.84 to 2.25). Conclusion: Males, people with progressive MS and those of lower education level were at higher risk of leaving employment. The differential changed risk of leaving employment between people with different MS phenotype after 2010 coincides with the increased usage of high-efficacy DMTs for RRMS

Demonstration of Photonic Integrated RAU for Millimetre-wave Gigabit Wireless Transmission

This work reports the performance of a wireless transmission link based on a radio access unit (RAU) implemented in photonic integrated circuit (PIC) form. The PIC contains a high speed photodiode for direct optical to RF conversion, monolithically integrated with a semiconductor laser, used as an optical local oscillator for up-conversion of the incoming 16-QAM-OFDM signal through heterodyning. Wireless transmission was demonstrated with a spectral efficiency as high as 3 bits/s/Hz at 60 GHz carrier and with 1.2 Gb/s transmission rate. Moreover, the RAU based on a broad bandwidth photodiode integrated with a tuneable laser allowed for a compact unit that could operate at carrier frequencies up to 100 GHz

A 1 Gbps 105.4 GHz link with a directly modulated photonic integrated dual laser source

This is the accepted manuscript. The final version is available from IEEE at http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/articleDetails.jsp?arnumber=6989942

Antenna integrated THz uni-travelling carrier photodiodes (Invited Paper)

High speed photodiodes are a key element of numerous photonic systems. With the development of potential applications in the THz range such as sensing, spectroscopy and wireless transmission, devices with integrated antenna covering the frequency range from 0.1 THz to 3 THz will become essential. In this paper we discuss the development of uni-travelling carrier photodiodes with integrated antennas to address that need. In particular we develop the key elements to present a simple design tool for the efficient integration of the device with an antenna. We also present fabricated device results that show the highest figure of merit to date for photonic THz emitters. When integrated with well-matched antennas the devices have achieved record level of power up to 1 THz compared to other published photomixers

Sub-THz Wireless over Fibre for Frequency Band 220 GHz- 280 GHz

Higher capacity wireless access networks are required to serve the growing demands for mobile traffic and multimedia services. The use of sub-THz carrier frequencies is a potential solution for the increased data demands. This paper proposes and demonstrates experimentally the photonic generation of a multiband signal for sub-THz wireless-over-fibre transmission at up to 100 Gb/s (20 Gb/s in each band) using the full spectrum 220 - 280 GHz for downlink wireless transmission and an uplink with 10 Gb/s on-off keying (OOK). By using an optical frequency comb generator (OFCG), 5 optical tones spaced by 15 GHz are selected and split into odd and even optical subcarriers modulated separately using 10 Gbaud quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) with Nyquist bandwidth achieved by using root raised cosine (RRC) filtering with 0.01 roll off factor. These optical subcarriers are combined and transmitted over 10 km of fibre to the remote antenna unit (RAU). The optical bands are then filtered and transmitted separately at the RAU in a wireless channel. The received sub-THz band is down-converted to the IF frequency and digital signal processing is employed at the receiver to measure the bit error ratio (BER). The performance is also evaluated to investigate the impact of the uplink on the downlink optical transmission. The receiver link budget and wireless distance for acceptable BER are also explored. The proposed system aims to distribute sub-band THz signals for short range indoor mobile units. The overall transmission capacity is increased by transmitting it as a multiband, which also reduces the bandwidth requirements on opto-electronic devices