GMPLS-Controlled Dynamic Translucent Optical Networks

The evolution of optical technologies has paved the way to the migration from opaque optical networks (i.e., networks in which the optical signal is electronically regenerated at each node) to transparent (i.e., all-optical) networks. Translucent optical networks (i.e., optical networks with sparse opto-electronic regeneration) enable the exploitation of the benefits of both opaque and transparent networks while providing a suitable solution for dynamic connections. Translucent optical networks with dynamic connections can be controlled by the GMPLS protocol suite. This article discusses the enhancements that the GMPLS suite requires for the control of dynamic translucent optical networks with quality of transmission guarantees. Such enhancements concern QoT-awareness and regenerator-awareness and can be achieved by collecting and disseminating the information on QoT and regenerator availability, respectively, and by efficiently leveraging such information for traffic engineering purposes. More specifically, the article proposes two distributed approaches, based on the routing protocol and the signaling protocol, for disseminating regenerator information in the GMPLS control plane. Moreover, three strategies are introduced to efficiently and dynamically designate the regeneration node(s) along the connection route. Routing and signaling approaches are compared in terms of blocking probability, setup time, and control plane load during provisioning and restoration

Preamplified Demodulation of 56-Gb/s WDM-DPSK Signals by an AWG-Based InP PIC

A compact preamplified receiver for wavelength division multiplexed-diffferential phase shift keying (WDM-DPSK) signals based on Gaussian filtering is proposed and simulated, and a first implementation, including an semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOA) and an ad-hoc arrayed waveguide grating (AWG), is demonstrated by monolithical integration in an InP platform. The demodulation of 56-Gb/s channels on the eight 100-GHz-spaced AWG outputs is experimentally reported, and simulation results show the feasibility of multiwavelength operation obtaining simultaneous demultiplexing and demodulation of all the channels. The resilience to chromatic dispersion for the Gaussian filter demodulation is also shown by simulations

Label Preference Schemes in GMPLS Controlled Networks

The GMPLS assumption that all available labels are equal is reasonable in electronic networks but not always true in WDM optical networks where labels correspond to physical wavelengths. In this paper we present two schemes for collecting the preference for specific labels during GMPLS signaling. For this purpose a new use of the Suggested Label object is proposed, and a novel object called Suggested Vector is introduced. The approach is validated through simulations showing significant wavelength converter usage reduction in aWDM optical network

Photonic Integrated Fully Tunable Comb Generator Cascading Optical Modulators

We report the first monolithic InP photonic integrated comb generator made by cascading optical modulators. The device is extremely compact and tunable both in repetition frequency and wavelength, making real-world applications possible. A distributed Bragg reflector laser, a Mach-Zehnder intensity modulator, and two phase modulators are monolithically integrated on a 4.5 x 2.5 mm(2) chip that also includes a booster semiconductor optical amplifier at the output. Modulators integrated on the circuit have a 3 dB bandwidth of 7 GHz and can generate up to 28 comb lines within a 5 dB power range when properly electrically driven (here demonstrated in the range 4-5 GHz). Operation up to 10 GHz is also reported.This work was supported by the European Commission, FP7 framework through Project 619205-"Access Center for Photonics Innovation Solutions and Technology Support".Publicad