Wavelength Division Multiplexing Channels Research Articles

Fast neural network inverse model to maximize throughput in ultra-wideband WDM systems.

Ultra-wideband systems expand the optical bandwidth in wavelength-division multiplexed (WDM) systems to provide increased capacity using the existing fiber infrastructure. In ultra-wideband transmission, power is transferred from shorter-wavelength WDM channels to longer-wavelength WDM channels due to inelastic inter-channel stimulated Raman scattering. Thus, managing launch power is necessary to improve the overall data throughput. While the launch power optimization problem can be solved by the particle swarm optimization method it is sensitive to the objective value and requires intensive objective calculations. Hence, we first propose a fast and accurate data-driven deep neural network-based physical layer in this paper which can achieve 99%-100% throughput compared to the semi-analytical approach with more than 2 orders of magnitude improvement in computational time. To further reduce the computational time, we propose an iterative greedy algorithm enabled by the inverse model to well approximate a sub-optimal solution with less than 6% performance degradation but almost 3 orders of magnitude reduction in computational time.

Programmable multi-wavelength distributed feedback laser array integrated in a liquid crystal polymer waveguide.

Liquid crystal (LC) distributed feedback (DFB) lasers hold significant potential for integrated photonics applications. However, limitations in wavelength spacing for wavelength switching, device size, and compatibility with other technologies have impeded advancements of the LC DFB laser in integration and responsiveness. Herein, we propose a thin-film multi-wavelength DFB laser array utilizing high-resolution patterned programmable nematic LC polymers, enabling rapid switching with high-resolution wavelength spacing between wavelength division multiplexing channels while maintaining a stable single longitudinal mode (SLM) for each laser. The underlying physical mechanism involves modulating the effective refractive index of the DFB laser by varying the LC molecules' orientation angles between adjacent regions of the LC grating to achieve wavelength modulation. Additionally, a specialized LC waveguide design connects the DFB lasers, facilitating wavelength modulation as well as straight-line and bending propagation of the laser. Furthermore, the laser array demonstrates a relatively low energy threshold, facilitating its applications in high-integration scenarios.

Detailed scrutiny of FWM in holmium-doped fiber amplifier (HOFA) in WDM systems

Abstract Four wave mixing (FWM) in wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) systems is prominent performance degrading nonlinearity and limits the total capacity of the system. FWM is explored in different fiber optical amplifiers such as erbium-doped fiber amplifier (EDFA), Raman fiber amplifier (RFA), and also in semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA). Reported studies in HOFA revealed that nonlinear effects in these amplifiers are low; however, in present study, in this research article WDM-HOFA system has been simulated and studied FWM in detail at different HOFA parameters such as input power, length, core radius, doping radius, numerical aperture (NA), Ho ion density, and effects of co- and counter-pumping. Gain and noise figure (NF) are also investigated at aforementioned parameters, and performance is evaluated in terms of optical signal to noise ratio (OSNR) at 2,030 nm wavelength window. It is observed that least FWM obtained at 3 m Ho fiber length, 2 µm core radius and doping radius, 15.6 × 1023 m−3 Ho ion doping, 0.1 NA, −10 dB input power, 0.8 GHz channel spacing, and 4 WDM channels. However, better gain and NF comes at different values of these parameters, and as a result, there is trade-off between FWM and gain, NF.

High-Capacity Coherent WDM Networks Empowered by Probabilistic Shaping and End-to-End Deep Learning

To optimize the functionality of coherent optical fiber communication (OFC) systems and enhance their capacity related to long-haul transmissions, wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) and probabilistic constellation shaping (PCS) techniques have been used. This paper develops an end-to-end (E2E) deep learning (DL)-based PCS algorithm, i.e., autoencoder (AE) for a high-order modulation format WDM system that minimizes nonlinear effects while ensuring high capacity and considers system parameters, in particular those related to the OFC channel. Only the AE of the central channel is trained to meet the specified performance objective, as the system design employs identical AEs in each WDM channel. The simulation results show that the architecture should consist of two hidden layers, with thirty two nodes per hidden layer and a ”32×modulation order” batch size to obtain optimal system performance, when designing AE using a dense layer neural network. The behavior of the AE is examined to determine the optimum launch-power ranges that enhance the system's performance. The developed AE-based PCS-WDM provides a 0.4 shaping gain and outperforms conventional solutions.

Stable and wavelength-tunable multiwavelength laser for high-rate measurement device independent quantum key distribution

Measurement device independent quantum key distribution (MDI QKD) has attracted growing attention for its immunity to attacks at the measurement unit, but its unique structure limits the secret key rate. Utilizing the wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) technique and reducing error rates are effective strategies for enhancing the secret key rate. Reducing error rates often requires active feedback control of wavelengths using precise external references. However, for a multiwavelength laser, employing multiple references to stabilize each wavelength output places stringent demands on these references and significantly increases system complexity. Here, we demonstrate a stable, wavelength-tunable multiwavelength laser with an output wavelength ranging from 1270 to 1610 nm. Through precise temperature control and stable drive current, we passively lock the laser wavelength, achieving remarkable wavelength stability. This significantly reduce the error rate, leading to an almost doubling of the secret key rate compared to previous experiments. Furthermore, the exceptional wavelength stability offered by our multiwavelength laser, combined with the WDM technique, has further boosted the secret key rate of MDI QKD. With a wide wavelength tuning range of 5.1 nm, our multiwavelength laser facilitates flexible operation across multiple dense wavelength division multiplexing channels. Coupled with high wavelength stability and multiple wavelength outputs simultaneously, this laser offers a promising solution for a high-rate MDI QKD system.

DSP-based inter-channel interference monitoring in flexible wavelength-routed networks

The efficiency of optical networks employing flexible wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) can be increased by maximizing the throughput of each individual channel, provided that the position of its neighboring channel is known with sufficient accuracy in order to avoid inter-channel interference. In this paper, we propose a digital signal processing (DSP) algorithm, leveraging the use of an artificial neural network (ANN), to estimate the neighboring channels’ distance by processing raw digital samples from a standard coherent receiver. We present an efficient dataset design approach, based on Latin hypercube sampling (LHS), in order to effectively optimize and validate the algorithm under different assumptions on the optical WDM channels. We investigate the accuracy of the ANN-based DSP scheme through simulation analysis, highlighting its potential in relation to the characteristics of the optical network. Finally, we validate our approach in an experimental setup using standard commercial coherent transceivers. The experimental results show that the distance from the neighboring WDM channels can be estimated with a root mean square error of less than 1.5 GHz for a channel under test with a symbol rate of 52 GBaud.

Wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) FSO communications with soliton microcombs

This study highlights the benefits of soliton microcombs (SMCs) in FSO communication systems. By employing a microring resonator coupled with an add/drop filter, we achieved soliton microcombs with a precise Free Spectral Range (FSR) of 1870 pm and a Full Width at Half Maximum (FWHM) of 60 pm, tailored for Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM) channels. The system utilized 100 lines for the WDM channel with an inter-channel spacing of 0.5 nm and PolSK modulation to encode the data. This combination achieved a bit error rate (BER) of 10 − 9 , significantly lower than the 10 − 7 observed with traditional systems. For performance simulation, the channel was characterized using the gamma-gamma model, which assessed the impact of atmospheric turbulence on data transmission. The results show a high channel capacity ( 10 3 Gbit/s) and a low loss probability ( 10 − 8 ), ensuring reliable data transmission even in the presence of atmospheric disturbances. This methodology provides substantial improvements in stability and efficiency for FSO networks.

Performance analysis of hybrid optical amplifiers for multichannel wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) optical networks

Abstract Hybrid Optical Amplifier (HOA) has made a significant change in Wavelength Division Multiplexed (WDM) optical networks. We have proposed diverse hybrid optical amplifier configurations for the better performance of WDM optical networks. These configurations are SOA-EDFA, EDFA-EDFA and EDFA-Raman amplifier for 24 channels WDM optical networks at 10 Gbps with channel spacing of 0.8 nm. The performance of the systems is evaluated on the behalf of different parameters such as, quality factor, eye diagram, bit error rate and output power. The efforts are made to optimize these parameters. From the results, it is assessed that EDFA-Raman configuration gives superior results as compared to EDFA-EDFA configuration and SOA-EDFA hybrid optical amplifier configuration for long distance. Further it is also observed that EDFA-Raman hybrid optical amplifier configuration is suitable for high data rates up to 20 Gbps.

Optimization of 16 wdm channel of 40 gbps optical link

The demand for higher capacities in fifth-generation networks and upcoming generations can be met with technology such as Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM). A study has been conducted to enhance the performance of a system comprising of sixteen light waves that carry high data rates of 40 Gbps for each data source associated with one of the wavelengths. The key focus of this study was to optimize the system parameters, including channel spacing, power levels, and dispersion compensation, to increase the signal-to-noise ratio and reduce signal degradation, which would be compatible with high data transfer speeds. The aim of this work is to improve the efficiency and performance of the proposed system. Using the simulation program OptiSystem, the proposed optical communications system based on 16 WDM channels for the 40 Gbps optical link was improved. Several parameters were adjusted to improve the performance of the proposed system. By carefully treating variables that can significantly affect system performance and striving to maximize the signal-to-noise ratio, minimize signal degradation, including dispersion compensation strategies, and optimize power levels. This work can determine the ideal configuration for the 16 WDM channels by evaluating and comparing the performance of different optimization strategies to obtain better results compared to previous work. The results show the extent of the impact of the optimization process on improving the system performance, which makes the proposed system suitable for communications systems in the next generations.

Multi-beam, WDM-based photonic beamformer with spectrum reuse.

This manuscript presents a wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM)-based photonic beamformer for an RF phased array antenna transmitter, capable of simultaneously generating multiple beams using the same optical spectrum. In the proposed architecture, for each RF beam, a WDM signal comprising the modulated RF sidebands undergoes complex-valued filtering, while another WDM signal with the same channels, but carrying only optical carriers, goes through an optical frequency-shifting stage. The proposed architecture allows the same WDM channels to be reused for multiple RF beams. The detection of the frequency-shifted optical carrier and the filtered RF sideband of each WDM channel at the photodetector produces a frequency-converted, correctly weighted signal to be fed to each antenna element. The features described herein are analytically derived, numerically simulated, and experimentally demonstrated. Results showcase two independent beams being transmitted in different directions.

Demultiplexing of 40 acoustic orbital angular momentum wavelength-division multiplexing (OAM-WDM) channels by an improved virtual rotating receiver method

Orbital angular momentum (OAM) multiplexing/demultiplexing technology is crucial in increasing the data transmission rate for acoustic communication. However, the existing acoustic OAM multiplexing/demultiplexing is still limited to eight channels, and its combination with other communication techniques has not been verified experimentally. Here, we experimentally demonstrate the demultiplexing of up to 40 data channels using OAM multiplexing combined with wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM). The proposed demultiplexing method is improved from the virtual rotating receiver method used to detect the rotational Doppler effect of the OAM waves by a static array of microphones. The improved method has overcome the challenges of insufficient response, cross-talk, and signal aliasing, which often hinder the existing demultiplexing methods in the low-frequency region. The proposed demultiplexing method can be used to quickly decode the massive information concealed in a large number of acoustic OAM-WDM channels. Our work also shows practical prospects in underwater communication applications, especially in long-range communication using acoustic waves at low frequencies.

Compensation of the Distorted WDM Signals by Symmetric Dispersion Map with Nonuniform Zero-Crossing Place of Accumulated Dispersion in Midway-OPC System

The nonlinear Kerr effect and chromatic dispersion are the fundamental causes of optical signal degradation in single-mode fiber (SMF) and erbium-doped fiber-amplification (EDFA)-based wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) transmission. Dispersion management combined with a midway optical phase conjugator among the technologies for compensating for such optical signal distortion is known to not be limited by the modulation format and multiplexing technology. Optimization of the dispersion map can partially alleviate the capacity and maximum transmission distance limitations of the SMF and EDFA system. In this paper, we propose various types of symmetric dispersion maps in which the position of zero-crossing place of the cumulative dispersion is not constant, and analyze the effect of each dispersion map configuration on 40 Gb/s × 24-channel WDM signal distortion compensation. When designed with the residual dispersion per span (RDPS) around 400 ps/nm, it is confirmed that most of the proposed dispersion maps are more effective in compensating the distorted WDM signal than conventional dispersion map. In particular, we confirm that, among the proposed dispersion maps, the dispersion map in which the RDPS is designed uniformly for all fiber spans can increase the power margin of WDM channel and expand the range of the total residual dispersion in the dispersion-managed link.

30.7 Tb/s Transmission over 400 km using 40 WDM channels of DP-16 QAM and Raman amplification without inline repeaters

Forty wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) channels of 96 Gbaud (768 Gb/s) were transmitted over 400 km of SMF using only a Raman amplifier, which was accomplished through numerical simulations. Each WDM channel comprised eight electrical subcarriers of single sideband Nyquist-pulse-shaping. 16 quadrature amplitude modulation and dual polarization modulation were applied to each subcarrier channel and so one data symbol carried eight bits. The roll-off factor in the optical subcarrier spectrum was investigated from 2% to 11%, and the change in roll-off was analyzed according to the subcarrier channel in a single WDM channel. The spectral linewidth of the light source in the transmitter was changed up to 10 MHz, and the effect on the performance was examined for a coherent transmission system with constellation analysis. The optical input power per WDM channel was optimized and the wavelength spacing between WDM channels were analyzed using nonlinear effects from adjacent WDM channels. A transmission experiment for total 30.7 Tb/s over 400 km was performed using the obtained optimal values. BER evaluation was achieved by DSP algorithms including Kramers–Kronig detection and Nyquist filtering. All 40 WDM channels exhibited sufficient transmission performance using only the Raman backward pumping of the four pump wavelengths. The proposed system can be applied to unrepeatered metro‐networks or data-center interconnects.

Enhancing signal quality in dense wavelength division multiplexed systems by eliminating crosstalk with cascaded optical bandpass filters

Non-orthogonal wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) channels are crucial in achieving significantly higher capacity and spectral efficiency than conventional schemes. Additionally, conventional schemes face challenges in electrical processing of wide-bandwidth signals. To suppress crosstalk in non-orthogonal WDM channels, the use of cascaded bandpass filters with suitable transmissivity and bandwidth is investigated for effective channel separation of large-capacity and multiplexed optical signals. This study employs the bandwidth ratio as a parameter, which is defined as the ratio of the channel spacing to the signal bandwidth, to quantify the extent of signal overlapping, and uses optical bandpass filters to filter non-orthogonal signals with a bandwidth ratio ranging from 1.0 to 0.75. The non-overlapping portion is set as the transmission bandwidth of the filter, and the crosstalk is maximally reduced with two-stage filters using Nyquist, super Gaussian, and Butterworth shaped filters. According to the analysis, the combination of Gaussian N = 1 and Gaussian N = 5 exhibits the lowest error vector magnitude (EVM) performance within a bandwidth ratio of 0.8 to 1.0. Simulations showed that a two-stage OBPF with a combination of Gaussian N = 1 and Gaussian N = 5 provides the best EVM performance at a bandwidth ratio between 0.85 to 1.0 within the combination of filter shapes and their orders we used. Additionally, the study includes an analytical investigation of the impact of amplified-spontaneous-emission noise associated with the Erbium-doped fiber amplifier (EDFA) and frequency resolution tolerance of the LCOS filter. The results demonstrate that cascaded EDFAs can be achieved down to OSNR of 10 dB at a minimum resolution of 4 GHz. Finally, the optimal filter shape is analyzed for different bandwidth ratios. The investigation shows that the optimal filter shape is independent of the function used and remains consistent across all bandwidth ratios. The tolerance of the filter is primarily affected by the −0.5 dB transmittance bandwidth between subchannels, which varies depending on the bandwidth ratio. Furthermore, a high tolerance is observed in the −20 dB transmittance bandwidth.

Effect of Gain Saturation on Wideband WDM Signal in PPLN-Based Optical Parametric Amplifier

The periodically poled LiNbO <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">3</sub> (PPLN) based optical parametric amplifier (OPA) is a technology that contributes to the construction of multi-band wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) optical networks thanks to its wide amplification bandwidth and wavelength conversion function. In addition, the fast response of the OPA means it is unaffected by sudden changes of wavelength channels due to dynamic channel add-drop. However, such fast response leads to nonlinear signal distortion when operating in the gain saturation region. This paper experimentally investigates the conversion of gain saturation into the nonlinear amplitude distortion in a 64-Gbaud 64QAM WDM signal. We characterized the input power tolerance of a PPLN-based OPA in wideband WDM applications and found that the nonlinear amplitude distortion can be suppressed by increasing the number of WDM channels. For a 75-GHz-spacing 64-channel WDM configuration, the total input power tolerance was improved by ∼10 dB compared to a single-channel case. We also confirmed that there is almost no wavelength dependence of the effect of gain saturation on the signal distortion. These results show that PPLN-based OPAs have a wide total input power range for amplifying wideband WDM signals in terms of the nonlinear distortion.

Active tunable WDM demultiplexer with intrinsic gain based on vectorial parametric amplification.

We report on the realization of an active tunable wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) demultiplexer based on vectorial parametric amplification in a highly nonlinear bismuth-oxide fiber. The demultiplexing of a 10 Gbits/s WDM channel is demonstrated with little power penalty. The compact device integrates wavelength conversion and filtering functions while providing parametric gain. Furthermore, the proposed scheme could be extended to perform time division multiplexing (TDM) and WDM simultaneously.

Ultrabroadband 2D‐Dispersive Wavelength Selective Switch with 1.57 GHz Hyperfine Spectral Resolution and &gt;1600 Channels

AbstractWavelength selective switches (WSSs) are key components in commercial reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexer systems that are essential for future wavelength‐division multiplexing (WDM) networks. With rapidly increasing data transmission, there is a demand for high‐capacity WSSs. However, in a WSS, the number of channels, which is related to the ratio of its band coverage relative to spectral resolution, is limited within a certain range, since the 1D dispersion of the grating fails to utilize the 2D selectivity of the liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS) pixel array in the “disperse and select” architecture.. To surpass this limitation, here a virtually imaged phased array (VIPA) is employed into the WSS system to expand 1D‐dispersion into 2D space in order to fully utilize the 2D selectivity of LCoS. According to the experimental results, this VIPA‐grating‐based 2D WSS approach enables a spectral resolution that can be narrowed to 1.57 GHz (18 times improvement from 1D WSS, and massive (&gt;1600) WDM channels can be predicted) and ultrabroadband spectral coverage across the S‐, C‐, and L‐bands of 20 THz. The data communication performance of the 2D WSS is also tested.

Next generation PON architecture using PD-NOMA employing OAM and WDM multiplexing

In this paper, we propose and experimentally demonstrate the efficacy of a next-generation passive optical network (PON) architecture for free space optical link, which utilizes power domain (PD) non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) along with simultaneous orbital angular momentum (OAM) mode and wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) techniques. In this proposed architecture, many optical network units (ONUs) are accommodated by clustering them based on their power budgets and their data streams are allocated with different powers accordingly. The clustered ONUs are served with multiple OAM modes over multiple wavelengths to maintain high capacity, low latency, and increased reliability. As a proof-of-principle experimental demonstration of the proposed architecture, we have experimentally emulated two ONU clusters having a power ratio of (near:far)−3.17dB for implementing the PD-NOMA system for downlink. Each ONU cluster uses three 50 GHz spaced WDM channels, where each WDM channel carries two multiplexed OAM modes having opposite topological charge (l=±1 and ±2) values. Each cluster’s six ONUs is delivered with a 10 Gbps On-Off Keying (OOK) signal. We have demonstrated that all users can achieve a pre-forward error correction (pre-FEC) bit error rate (BER) below the 7% overhead-FEC (OH-FEC) BER limit of 3.8×10−3. We have also measured the x-talk due to WDM and mode multiplexing, and it has been revealed that the main contribution to the power penalty (relative to the no cross-talk condition) comes from OAM mode cross-talk.

Semiconductor Optical Amplifier (SOA)-Driven Reservoir Computing for Dense Wavelength-Division Multiplexing (DWDM) Signal Compensation

Optical signal processing (OSP) technology is a crucial part of the optical switching node in the modern optical-fiber communication system, especially when advanced modulation formats, e.g., quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM), are applied. However, the conventional on–off keying (OOK) signal is still widely used in access or metro transmission systems, which leads to the compatibility requirement of OSP for incoherent and coherent signals. In this paper, we propose a reservoir computing (RC)-OSP scheme based on nonlinear mapping behavior through a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) to deal with the non-return-to-zero (NRZ) signals and the differential quadrature phase-shift keying (DQPSK) signals in the nonlinear dense wavelength-division multiplexing (DWDM) channel. We optimized the key parameters of SOA-based RC to improve compensation performance. Based on the simulation investigation, we observed a significant improvement in signal quality over 10 dB compared to the distorted signals on each DWDM channel for both the NRZ and DQPSK transmission cases. The compatible OSP achieved by the proposed SOA-based RC could be a potential application of the optical switching node in the complex optical fiber communication system, where incoherent and coherent signals meet.

Joint WDM and OAM Mode Group Multiplexed Transmission Over Conventional Multimode Fiber

To exploit the advantages of multimode fiber (MMF)-based transmission and to improve the overall capacity, transmission of OAM modes over a single wavelength needs to be replaced by multichannel transmission with the proper experimental demonstration in terms of achievable bit error rates (BER), cross-talk(x-talk), etc. over the entire transmission band. In this paper, we have experimentally shown the successful transmission of two OAM mode groups multiplexed signals jointly with three channels using wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) over a 1 km conventional MMF, namely OM3. In this experimental study, each OAM mode over each WDM channel uses 10 Gbps of on-off keying (OOK) modulation format. At the receiver end, the achieved bit error rate (BER) is found well below the required pre-FEC BER of <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$3.8\times 10^{-3}$</tex-math></inline-formula> without using any MIMO-DSP. To establish the efficacy of the signal transmission, the time evolutions of OAM mode x-talk and BER over wavelengths spanning the entire C-band have been experimentally measured. Under the influence of different x-talks, the BER performances of all three 50 GHz-spaced WDM channels for both OAM modes are measured. With proper adjustment of polarization at the receiver end, a BER value below the pre-FEC threshold is achieved over 900 seconds. The experimental results also revealed that the power penalty contribution of WDM x-talk is negligible compared to OAM mode x-talk.