Wavelength Division Multiplexing Research Articles

Broadband and fabrication-tolerant 3-dB couplers with topological valley edge modes

3-dB couplers, which are commonly used in photonic integrated circuits for on-chip information processing, precision measurement, and quantum computing, face challenges in achieving robust performance due to their limited 3-dB bandwidths and sensitivity to fabrication errors. To address this, we introduce topological physics to nanophotonics, developing a framework for topological 3-dB couplers. These couplers exhibit broad working wavelength range and robustness against fabrication dimensional errors. By leveraging valley-Hall topology and mirror symmetry, the photonic-crystal-slab couplers achieve ideal 3-dB splitting characterized by a wavelength-insensitive scattering matrix. Tolerance analysis confirms the superiority on broad bandwidth of 48 nm and robust splitting against dimensional errors of 20 nm. We further propose a topological interferometer for on-chip distance measurement, which also exhibits robustness against dimensional errors. This extension of topological principles to the fields of interferometers, may open up new possibilities for constructing robust wavelength division multiplexing, temperature-drift-insensitive sensing, and optical coherence tomography applications.

Mode-pairing quantum key distribution based on wavelength division multiplexing in multi-user networks

Mode-pairing quantum key distribution (MP-QKD), a protocol that combines high performance and flexibility, not only eliminates the need for global phase locking but also beats the rate-transmittance bound. Such remarkable characteristics are poised to further advance the practical application of quantum communication networks. In this paper, MP-QKD is extended to the scenario of multi-user communication networks. MP-QKD enables concurrent operation across multiple channels by integrating wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) technology, facilitating secure communication among multiple users. The performance of MP-QKD in multi-channel concurrent operation is analyzed through simulating various experimental conditions. The asymmetric MP-QKD case is also considered and pulse intensity optimization improves performance for asymmetric network channels. These results delineate the performance of MP-QKD with WDM technology, highlighting its significant potential for application in quantum communication networks.

Dual optical frequency transfer through wavelength-division and polarization multiplexing in an 184-meter fiber link

Stabilized dual optical frequency transfer is demonstrated through wavelength-division or polarization multiplexing in a 184-meter long polarization-maintaining fiber link. The latter is stabilized at a primary frequency in the telecom C-band using the established Doppler cancellation technique. Simultaneously, a secondary optical frequency is transferred in the same fiber. Out-of-loop characterization demonstrates an indirect Doppler cancellation for the secondary optical frequency. Compared to an unstabilized link, at 1000 seconds integration time we measure an 11.5 dB stability improvement for wavelength-division multiplexing and a 16 dB improvement for polarization multiplexing. Taking advantage of a stabilized link to distribute other wavelengths is useful for applications in frequency metrology. As an example, we are using a cavity-stabilized 1560 nm laser to stabilize the fiber link while a 1556.2 nm two-photon rubidium clock laser is being distributed.

Analysis of Ultra-Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (UDWDM) in a Passive Optical Network (PON)

Passive Optical Networks (PONs) are essential in optical communications to meet the increasing demand for network capacity and connected users, ensuring reliable and adaptable connections for data transmissions. These networks also simplify infrastructures and efficiently utilize energy by eliminating the need for active devices. In this context, Ultra- Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (UDWDM) is one of the most prominent solutions for data transmission. This technology uses the narrow separation between channels from 25GHz and even as small as 6.25GHz to increase the transmission capacity. This document analyzes the performance of UDWDM considering the transmission of three simultaneous channels in a PON network for which three different scenarios have been considered for the analysis with the following parameters: i) transmission speed from 10 Gbps to 17 Gbps, ii) the distance from 10 km to 20 km and iii) the separation between channels of 15GHz, 20GHz, and 25GHz. The performance metrics for the analyzed scenario are the bit error rate and the eye diagram. To ensure the reception of the transmitted channel, an analysis of raised cosine and Gauss filters is also discussed. Including these filters allows for verifying whether their use enhances the performance of the channels compared to transmission without a filter. This is crucial for understanding how filters can optimize the quality and reliability of data transmission in a PON, which is of great importance in environments where high efficiency and connection quality are required.

Optimization of underwater visible light communication transmission using multilevel regression modelling

This paper proposes the 32-Channel Dense wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) system for Underwater Visible Light Communication (UVLC). The proposed DWDM-UVLC system performs the transmission of visible light data under different underwater ocean environmental conditions such as Pure sea, Clear ocean, and Coastal ocean water and ocean pollution such as oil spills, microplastics. The data transmission through visible light in underwater ocean environment is a challenging task due to attenuation in ocean water, which causes variations in water column parameters such as temperature, Ph, salinity, and chemical oil spill contents in water such as water with oil spills, and microplastics. The proposed dense wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) system for Underwater Visible Light Communication (UVLC) is optimized using Bayesian optimized Multiple Regression Learning (BO-MRL) method. The BO-MRL based DWDM for UVLC mitigates the attenuation problems in data transmission, which is in the range of approximately 350m. The proposed DWDM-UVLC system is evaluated through the Performance metrics such as Q-factor, Minimal BER and proper spectral eye characteristics. The proposed BO-MRL based DWDM consists of non-return-to-zero (NRZ) modulation, which performs better in 320 Gbps, transmission in the range of 200m and 350m, and achieves the maximum Q-factor of 19.2364 with a minimal BER of 9.16489 e−083.

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.

Optimization and analysis of apodized fiber Bragg grating properties for quasi-distributed sensing

An apodized fiber Bragg grating (FBG) is introduced with a proposed apodization function for the effective quasi-distributed sensing estimation of the temperature and the strain. FBG features such as reflectivity, side lobes, and bandwidth have been optimized for the designed apodized grating to upgrade the effectiveness of FBG for properly measuring the variations in the Bragg wavelength. Based upon the simulation, a comparative analytical study on FBG properties with different apodization function profiles has been demonstrated to achieve the optimum profile with high reflectivity, narrow bandwidth and minimal range of side lobes for quasi-distributed sensing estimation of parameters. A strong linearity has been noted for the sensitivity of designed FBG with different apodization profiles for the temperature and the strain estimation subsequently. It has been reported that the obtained sensitivity of measurands for the FBG with proposed apodization profile are higher as compared with the other profiles. The wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) based quasi-distributed network of four optimized FBGs have been implemented for different apodization profiles to illustrate the impact of apodization to prevent overlapping between neighbouring FBG spectrums in the sensing network with spatial resolution of 2 nm. The maximal detectable temperature/strain sensitivity estimation of 153 °C/1439 μϵ have been obtained for the proposed apodized FBG along with minimal detectable temperature/strain ranges of −102 °C/−1345 μϵ in the quasi-distributed network. The achieved ranges with optimum resolution can be implemented effectively in quasi-distributed based sensing application for condition observation of civil infrastructures in any complex circumstances.

Wavelength detection of serial WDM ultra-short fiber Bragg grating sensor networks based on a CCD interrogator using deep belief networks and sparrow search algorithm

In this paper, in order to make fiber Bragg grating spectra easier to overlap, it is proposed to use ultra-short fiber Bragg grating to build a sensor network, and for serial wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor networks using charge-coupled device (CCD) interrogator as data acquisition devices, an efficient method for measuring strain sensor signals is presented, which combines a deep belief network (DBN) with the sparrow search algorithm (SSA). The FBG sensor network uses serial WDM connectivity, negating the need for optical switches and reducing latency of the whole sensor system. The application of a low-precision, low-resolution CCD interrogator as the data acquisition device enhances the model's generalizability and facilitates its implementation in real-world projects. DBN, a generative graphical model in machine learning, for learning features from overlapping spectra of FBGs and build the center wavelength detection model. SSA is a swarm intelligence algorithm, for optimizing the hyperparameters of the DBN model. Experimental results show that even using spectral data collected by a CCD interrogator, the DBN-SSA model can achieve good demodulation accuracy and speed, with an optimal root mean square error of 1.68pm and a single inference time of 1.4 ms. In summary, the demodulation system offers a dependable and effective solution for FBG sensor networks with limited data precision.

Silicon‐photonic four‐mode triple‐band multiplexing device for hybrid wavelength/mode division multiplexing networks

SummaryWhile wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) technology combines several wavelengths onto a single waveguide, the technology of mode division multiplexing (MDM) allows many orthogonal modes of the same wavelength to operate simultaneously without interchannel crosstalk. Thus, the hybrid WDM and MDM network in which the two above‐mentioned techniques cooperate could give a several‐fold increase in the overall network capacity. Constructing this network requires hybrid wavelength‐and‐mode multiplexers, especially ones with high integration and complementary metal‐oxide‐semiconductor (CMOS) compatibility. In this paper, we propose a design of a four‐mode triple‐band multiplexer that is capable of multiplexing up to 12 separate optical signal flows by utilizing four eigenmodes (TE0, TE1, TE2, and TE3) and three‐wavelength windows, which center at 1310, 1490, and 1550 nm. The device is on silicon‐on‐insulator (SOI) platform, consisting of four butterfly‐shaped multimode interference (MMI) couplers, four directional couplers, and a cascaded asymmetric Y‐junction coupler. Via numerical simulations, the proposed design is verified to be able to operate effectively on the three aforementioned bandwidth slots with an optical conversion efficiency of over 93% in all functions. Moreover, it exhibits insertion loss less than 1.5 dB and crosstalk smaller than −16 dB within 25 nm bandwidth at each wavelength window. These results can affirm the success of wavelength–mode combination, which leads to a massive improve in the channel capacity on the same optical multiplexing system for optical telecommunications and photonics on‐chip interconnections.

Arrayed electro-optic modulators for novel WDM multiplexing

In this paper, a novel silicon-on-chip integrated 4 × 1 wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) multiplexer has been developed. This is the first time that the multiplexer design incorporates arrayed electro-optical modulators with crosstalk cancellation. The design utilizes two types of electro-optic modulators in each channel. The first modulator, based on 1D-PhCNBC, extracts the desired wavelengths from the WDM spectrum. The second modulator, based on coupled hybrid plasmonics, acts as a switch to eliminate crosstalk of the desired optic wavelength signal at the multiplexer output. By combining the advantages of electro-optical modulators and crosstalk cancellation techniques, we anticipate that our proposed design contributes to the advancement of WDM multiplexing technology and facilitates the implementation of efficient and compact optical communication systems. Additionally, this synergy enables enhanced performance, reduced signal interference, and improved signal quality, leading to more reliable and high-speed data transmission in optical networks. The functionality of the device is theoretically simulated using 3D-FDTD (Finite-Difference Time-Domain) method.

Spatial and mode selective switch for orbital angular momentum mode division multiplexing.

In analogy to a wavelength selective switch in wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) optical fiber communication systems, a spatial and optical mode selective switch (SMSS) would be an important component in future ultrahigh capacity optical fiber communication systems based on space and mode division multiplexing. In this work, a free-space SMSS for orbital angular momentum (OAM) mode-division multiplexing (MDM) is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. The SMSS consists of a separating part for transforming OAM modes to spatial modes and a recombining part for selecting and recombining the modes to any spatial channel. The SMSS is able to implement strictly non-blocking switching between a total of 36 SDM/MDM channels configured as four spatial channels each supporting nine OAM mode channels.

Physics to system-level modeling of silicon-organic-hybrid nanophotonic devices

The continuous growth in data volume has sparked interest in silicon-organic-hybrid (SOH) nanophotonic devices integrated into silicon photonic integrated circuits (PICs). SOH devices offer improved speed and energy efficiency compared to silicon photonics devices. However, a comprehensive and accurate modeling methodology of SOH devices, such as modulators corroborating experimental results, is lacking. While some preliminary modeling approaches for SOH devices exist, their reliance on theoretical and numerical methodologies, along with a lack of compatibility with electronic design automation (EDA), hinders their seamless and rapid integration with silicon PICs. Here, we develop a phenomenological, building-block-based SOH PICs simulation methodology that spans from the physics to the system level, offering high accuracy, comprehensiveness, and EDA-style compatibility. Our model is also readily integrable and scalable, lending itself to the design of large-scale silicon PICs. Our proposed modeling methodology is agnostic and compatible with any photonics-electronics co-simulation software. We validate this methodology by comparing the characteristics of experimentally demonstrated SOH microring modulators (MRMs) and Mach Zehnder modulators with those obtained through simulation, demonstrating its ability to model various modulator topologies. We also show our methodology's ease and speed in modeling large-scale systems. As an illustrative example, we use our methodology to design and study a 3-channel SOH MRM-based wavelength-division (de)multiplexer, a widely used component in various applications, including neuromorphic computing, data center interconnects, communications, sensing, and switching networks. Our modeling approach is also compatible with other materials exhibiting the Pockels and Kerr effects. To our knowledge, this represents the first comprehensive physics-to-system-level EDA-compatible simulation methodology for SOH modulators.

Turbidity-tolerant underwater wireless optical communications using dense blue–green wavelength division multiplexing

Underwater wireless optical communication (UWOC) has demonstrated high-speed and low-latency properties in clear and coastal ocean water because of the relatively low attenuation ‘window’ for blue–green wavelengths from 450 nm to 550 nm. However, there are different attenuation coefficients for transmission in ocean water at different wavelengths, and the light transmission more seriously deteriorates with fluctuations in the water turbidity. Therefore, traditional UWOC using a single wavelength or coarse blue–green wavelengths has difficulty tolerating variations in water turbidity. Dense wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) technology provides sufficient communication channels with a narrow wavelength spacing and minimal channel crosstalk. Here, we improve the UWOC in clear and coastal ocean water using dense blue–green WDM. A cost-effective WDM emitter is proposed with directly modulated blue–green laser diodes. Dense wavelength beam combination and collimation are demonstrated in a 20-metre underwater channel from 490 nm to 520 nm. Demultiplexing with a minimum channel spacing of 2 nm is realized by an optical grating. Remarkably, our WDM results demonstrate an aggregate data rate exceeding 10 Gbit/s under diverse water turbidity conditions, with negligible crosstalk observed for each channel. This is the densest WDM implementation with a record channel spacing of 2 nm and the highest channel count for underwater blue–green light communications, providing turbidity-tolerant signal transmission in clear and coastal ocean water.

Beam swinging coherent Doppler wind lidar utilizing wavelength switching through a single telescope.

We have developed a new, to the best of our knowledge, beam swinging coherent Doppler wind lidar (BS-CDWL) by employing a wavelength switching method using mass-produced components for wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) optical communication systems. This BS-CDWL also has a single and position-to-angle conversion telescope for multiple LOS measurement which contributes to cost-effectiveness. Preliminary wind sensing result is shown with measurable range of up to 350 m.

Wavelength Division Multiplexing in Visible Light Communications Using Fluorescent Fiber Antennas

Wavelength Division Multiplexing in Visible Light Communications Using Fluorescent Fiber Antennas

New design of all-optical multi-channel wavelength division multiplexer based on 2D PC waveguide structures with square rods

New design of all-optical multi-channel wavelength division multiplexer based on 2D PC waveguide structures with square rods

Full C- and L-band covered second-order OAM mode generator based on a thinned helical long-period fiber grating

A full C- and L-band covered second-order orbital-angular-momentum (OAM) mode generator has been proposed and experimentally demonstrated, which is realized by using a helical long-period fiber grating (HLPG) but inscribed in a thinned four-mode fiber. By optimizing the design of grating period and fiber diameter of the proposed HLPG, an ultra-broadband rejection filter with a depth of ∼23 dB, a bandwidth of ∼156 nm @-10 dB (ranging from 1522 nm to 1678 nm) and a bandwidth of ∼58 nm @-20 dB (ranging from 1574 nm to 1632 nm), has been successfully obtained as a typical sample. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of such ultra-broadband second-order OAM mode generator by using only one fiber component, i.e., the thinned HLPG. In addition, the proposed generator is less polarization-dependent and less temperature-sensitive than those of the conventional HLPGs, which is believed to be considerably helpful to find potential applications of the device itself in wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) and OAM mode division multiplexing (MDM) optical fiber communication systems.

Enhancing the performance of mode-pairing quantum key distribution by wavelength division multiplexing

Mode-pairing quantum key distribution (MP-QKD) holds great promise for the practical implementation of QKD in the near future. It combines the security advantages of measurement device independence while still being capable of breaking the Pirandola–Laurenza–Ottaviani–Banchi bound without the need for highly demanding phase-locking and phase-tracking technologies for deployment. In this work, we explore optimization strategies for MP-QKD in a wavelength-division multiplexing scenario. The simulation results reveal that incorporation of multiple wavelengths not only leads to a direct increase in key rate but also enhances the pairing efficiency by employing our novel pairing strategies among different wavelengths. As a result, our work provides a new avenue for the future application and development of MP-QKD.

Multipoint temperature measurement system composed of fiber-optic Fabry–Perot interference sensors and a wavelength-division multiplexing filter

A multipoint optical-fiber remote temperature measurement system was developed using reflection-type sensors consisting of a Fabry–Perot interference (FPI) structure with good temperature characteristics combined with a wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) filter. The FPI sensor was fabricated using a short temperature-sensing region sandwiched between single-mode fibers. FPI optical fibers and a WDM filter functioned as the temperature sensors and wavelength-selective optical source using an amplified spontaneous emission light source, respectively. This system was operated in a dense WDM configuration using an arrayed waveguide wavelength filter.

Design and performance analysis of OAM‐based multidimensional multiplexing RoF‐PON integrated access system

AbstractThe unique advantage of orbital angular momentum (OAM) provides a novel approach to breaking through the limitations of high‐capacity and long‐distance transmission in the conventional radio‐overfiber passive optical network (RoF‐PON) hybrid access network. Introducing the OAM division multiplexing (OAM‐DM) based on Laguerre–Gaussian (LG) beams into the RoF‐PON, an innovative multidimensional system architecture is proposed, which integrates with polarization‐division multiplexing (PDM), wavelength‐division multiplexing (WDM), and orthogonal frequency‐division multiplexing (OFDM) technologies. Successful long‐distance transmission of both the downstream 40 GHz radio OFDM signal and the upstream 40 Gbps on‐off keying (OOK) signal over 80 km are achieved. Additionally, at the optical network unit side, low‐cost upstream carrier re‐modulation technology and flexible access for both wired and wireless signals are realized. The proposed RoF‐OAM‐DM‐PDM‐WDM‐OFDM‐PON architecture offers a dependable solution for high‐capacity and low‐cost future communication systems, holding great importance in achieving flexible access networks.