Joint estimation of dynamic polarization and carrier phase with pilot-based adaptive equalizer in PDM-64 QAM transmission system

A pilot-based adaptive equalizer is investigated for high cardinality polarizationdivision-multiplexing quadrature amplitude modulation transmission systems. Pilot symbols are periodically inserted for joint estimation of the dynamic state of polarization (SOP) and carrier phase, in a least mean square (LMS) sense. Compared to decision-directed least mean square (DDLMS) equalization and radially-directed equalization, the proposed equalizer can achieve robust equalization and phase estimation, especially in low optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR) scenarios. In an experiment on 56 GBaud PDM-64 QAM transmission over 400 km standard single-mode fiber, we obtained at least 0.35 bit per symbol generalized mutual information (GMI) improvement compared with other training symbol-based equalization when tracking 600 krad/s dynamic SOP. With the joint estimation scheme, the equalization performance will not be compromised even if the SOP speed reaches 600 krad/s or the laser linewidth approaches 2 MHz. For the first time, it is demonstrated that the pilot-based equalizer can track dynamic SOP rotation and compensate for fiber linear impairments without any cycle slips under extreme conditions

Challenges in Extending Optical Fibre Transmission Bandwidth beyond C+L Band and How to Get There

Recently, we demonstrated a record single-mode fibre net throughput of 178.08 Tbit/s. In this paper, we model this experiment, investigating the main limitations and challenges behind this total throughput, together with the details of some approaches to overcome them, and an outlook for the future ultra-wideband network design and optimisation

Performance of momentum-based frequency-domain MIMO equalizer in the presence of feedback delay

A frequency-domain multiple-input multiple-output (FD-MIMO) equalizer employing a momentum-based gradient descent update algorithm is proposed for polarization multiplexing coherent receivers. Its performance in operation with dynamically varying optical channels is investigated and the impact of filter update delays, arising from the latency of the fast Fourier transforms (FFTs) and other digital signal processing (DSP) operations in the feedback loop, is assessed. We show that the proposed momentum-based gradient descent algorithm used to control the equalizer response has significantly greater tolerance to feedback delay than the conventional gradient descent algorithm. We considered a 92 Gbaud dual-polarization 64 QAM receiver, with DSP operating at two samples per symbol, and with the equalizer operating on blocks of 512 and 1024 samples (i.e., 512/1024-point FFT). We found that at an optical signal-to-noise power ratio (OSNR) of 35 dB, the momentum-based gradient descent algorithm can successfully track state-of-polarization (SOP) rotation at frequencies of up to 50 kHz and with filter update delays of up to 14 blocks (39 ns). In comparison, using the conventional gradient descent algorithm in an otherwise identical receiver, the equalizer performance starts to deteriorate at SOP rotation frequencies above 20 kHz

74.38 Tb/s Transmission Over 6300 km Single Mode Fibre Enabled by C plus L Amplification and Geometrically Shaped PDM-64QAM

Ultrawide-bandwidth optical amplification over almost 90 nm, covering the C+L bands, is described. Complemented by system-tailored geometrical constellation shaping and nonlinearity compensation, it enabled a record capacity transmission of 74.38 Tb/s over 6,300 km of G.654 single-mode fibre. The hybrid scheme, combining backward Raman pre-amplification with EDFA, significantly improves the average effective noise figure across the entire bandwidth, allowing the use of span lengths of 70 km. The system-tailored GS-64QAM constellation was optimised to both linear link impairments and transceiver nonlinearities, improving the gap to the AWGN channel capacity relative to square 64QAM from 0.6 bit/symbol to 0.35 bit/symbol. We experimentally evaluated the system performance using the bit-wise achievable information rate (AIR) and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) at the end of transmission, as well as post SD-FEC BER

Relative impact of channel symbol rate on transmission capacity

Through C+L band transmission experiments and theoretical modeling, we investigate the impact of channel symbol rate (30, 40, 60, and 85 GBd) on the performance of data center interconnection, metropolitan, and core network distances. Two different transponder architectures are investigated: (a) single-carrier receiver and (b) multi-carrier receiver, where multiple subcarriers are received together in a single wideband receiver. The architectures of both receivers experience a reduction in the achievable information rate as the channel symbol rate increases due to dominating transceiver noise; this holds over all tested transmission distances. However, the multi-carrier receiver shows a weaker performance dependency on symbol rate, as receiver-related impairments dominate. When testing the single-carrier receiver after 630 km, we find that by increasing the channel symbol rate from 40 to 85 GBd, gross capacity decreases by 16%; however, the required number of transceivers to fill the transmission window decreases by 52%. Using the multi-carrier receiver reduces receiver count further. This potentially impacts the cost and complexity of deploying fully loaded transmission systems

Frequency-modulated Chirp Signals for Single-photodiode Based Coherent LiDAR System

In this paper, we investigate two categories of linear frequency-modulated chirp signals suitable for single-photodiode based coherent light detection and ranging (LiDAR) systems, namely, the frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) single-sideband (SSB) signal and the amplitude-modulated double-sideband (DSB) signal, and compare their achievable receiver sensitivity performance. The DSB signal requires a simpler transmitter design, as it is real-valued and can be generated using a single-drive Mach-Zehnder modulator (MZM), while the SSB signal, which is frequency/phase modulated, requires an in-phase and quadrature modulator (IQM)-based transmitter. A theoretical analysis of direct-detection (DD) beating interference (BI) especially the local oscillator (LO) beating with itself, known as LO-LO BI, is presented. Both Monte Carlo simulations and experimental demonstrations are carried out. Good agreement between simulations and experiments is achieved. In comparison with the SSB system, the DSB signal-based system is affected by laser phase noise-induced power fluctuation, and also suffers a significant sensitivity penalty due to nonlinear LO-LO BI. A spectral guard band for mitigating LO-LO BI is necessary for the DSB signal, achieved at the expense of requiring a larger electrical bandwidth. In system tests with a delay line of 385 m, the SSB signal outperforms the DSB signal with a 10 dB better receiver sensitivity in the case with a guard band, and 25 dB better sensitivity without a guard band

Time-Domain Learned Digital Back-Propagation

Performance for optical fibre transmissions can be improved by digitally reversing the channel environment. When this is achieved by simulating short segment by separating the chromatic dispersion and Kerr nonlinearity, this is known as digital back-propagation (DBP). Time-domain DBP has the potential to decrease the complexity with respect to frequency domain algorithms. However, when using finer step in the algorithm, the accuracy of the individual smaller steps suffers. By adapting the chromatic dispersion filters of the individual steps to simulated or measured data this problem can be mitigated. Machine learning frameworks have enabled the gradient-descent style adaptation for large algorithms. This allows to adopt many dispersion filters to accurately represent the transmission in reverse. The proposed technique has been used in an experimental demonstration of learned time-domain DBP using a four channel 64-GBd dual-polarization 64-QAM signal transmission over a 10 span recirculating loop totalling 1014 km. The signal processing scheme consists of alternating finite impulse response filters with nonlinear phase shifts, where the filter coefficient were adapted using the experimental measurements. Performance gains to linear compensation in terms of signal-to-noise ratio improvements were comparable to those achieved with conventional frequency-domain DBP. Our experimental investigation shows the potential of digital signal processing techniques with learned parameters in improving the performance of high data rate long-haul optical fibre transmission systems

Percolating Reaction-Diffusion Waves (PERWAVES) — Sounding Rocket Combustion Experiments

Percolating reaction–diffusion waves in disordered random media are encountered in many branches of modern science, ranging from physics and biology to material science and combustion. Most disordered reaction–diffusion systems, however, have complex morphologies and reaction kinetics that complicate the study of the dynamics. Flames in suspensions of heterogeneously reacting metal-fuel particles is a rare example of a reaction–diffusion wave with a simple structure formed by point-like heat sources having well-defined ignition temperature thresholds and combustion times. Particle sedimentation and natural convection can be suppressed in the free-fall conditions of sounding rocket experiments, enabling the properties of percolating flames in suspensions to be observed, studied, and compared with emerging theoretical models. The current paper describes the design of the European Space Agency PERWAVES microgravity combustion apparatus, built by the Airbus Defense and Space team from Bremen in collaboration with the scientific research teams from McGill University and the Technical University of Eindhoven, and discusses the results of two sounding-rocket flight experiments. The apparatus allows multiple flame experiments in quartz glass tubes filled with uniform suspensions of 25-micron iron particles in oxygen/xenon gas mixtures. The experiments performed during the MAXUS-9 (April 2017) and TEXUS-56 (November 2019) sounding rocket flights have confirmed flame propagation in the discrete mode, which is a pre-requisite for percolating-flame behavior, and have allowed observation of the flame structure in the vicinity of the propagation threshold

Performance of Kramers–Kronig Receivers in the Presence of Local Oscillator Relative Intensity Noise

There is increasing interest in low-complexity coherent optical transceivers for the use in short-reach fiber links. Amongst the simplest configurations is the heterodyne coherent receiver, using a 3-dB coupler to combine the signal with the local oscillator (LO) laser output, and a single photodiode for detection of each polarization. In this paper, through numerical simulations, we investigate the impact of signal–signal beating interference (SSBI) and LO relative intensity noise (RIN) on the performance of such coherent transceivers. We assess the performance of two methods to mitigate the SSBI: first, the use of high LO laser power, and second, the application of digital signal processing-based receiver linearization, specifically, the Kramers–Kronig (KK) scheme. The results indicate that, in the case of a RIN-free LO laser, a strong LO is effective in mitigating SSBI and achieves a similar performance to that of the KK algorithm. However, the required increase in LO-to-signal power ratio (LOSPR) is significant. For example, a 20 dB higher optimum LOSPR was observed in the 28 Gbaud dual polarization 16 QAM system at an optical signal-to-noise power ratio of 22 dB. The drawback of using such a high LOSPR is the increased penalty due to RIN-LO beating terms, which we next investigated. The lower optimum LOSPR and, consequently, the lower impact of LO RIN on the performance of the KK receiver lead to a reduction in the pre-FEC BER by over an order of magnitude for LO RIN levels above −140 dBc/Hz