Multi-gigabit X-band transmitter for satellite communication using the optical phase-locked loop.

Optical generation of microwave signals using photonic techniques offers benefits of frequency agility, ease of frequency scaling, and reduced hardware complexity. We demonstrate the generation and detection of QPSK modulated with symbol rates up to 5 GBaud at carrier frequencies of 8-12 GHz through optical heterodyning of two-phase-locked lasers. The received data is demodulated through appropriate post-processing to correct for the phase noise and IQ imbalance. The approach is scalable to mmWave and THz communication.

Low-complexity algorithms for coherent optical systems with transceiver IQ imbalance.

The next-generation coherent optical communication relies on higher symbol transmission rates with higher modulation cardinality. The imbalance between the in-phase (I) and the quadrature (Q) arms in such systems leads to deteriorated performance if not corrected. In this work, we propose a reference constellation adaptation-based single-tap, novel carrier phase recovery algorithm, tolerant to the transmitter IQ imbalance and a pilot-free geometric parameter extraction-based receiver IQ imbalance correction method for MQAM signals. The proposed scheme is numerically investigated through extensive simulations for 32 GBaud polarization multiplexed (PM)-16QAM, and 64QAM modulation formats and experimentally verified for 32 GBaud PM-16QAM signal. The proposed pilot-free scheme is applicable to any modulation format and offers lower computational complexity than traditional algorithms.

Compensation of SOA-induced nonlinear phase distortions by optical phase conjugation.

To answer the question: "Is optical phase conjugation (OPC) capable of compensating nonlinear distortions caused by not only Kerr effect of optical fibre, but also the carrier dynamics of semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs)?", we investigate the effectiveness of OPC-based nonlinear compensation for SOAs amplifying a few-channel WDM signal modulated with m-QAM. We use a pair of SOAs with an OPC stage sandwiched between the two so that the combination works as a low-distortion amplifier. Symbol-period longer than the gain recovery time is chosen in our experiments to avoid bit-pattern effects introduced by the SOA. We amplify a 12Gbaud, 16QAM modulated three-channel WDM signal with this technique in the back-to-back configuration which remarkably outperforms a single SOA in the nonlinear regime of operation with an average Q2 improvement better than 4 dB for an output power of 4 dBm. We further demonstrate the practical advantage of the low distortion higher output power capability of the SOA shown in the back-to-back result by carrying out a transmission of the amplified signal through a 160-km fibre, where relatively high launch power is desirable. We also study the case of 64QAM signals and show that approximately a 3 dB Q2 factor improvement can be obtained over single SOA, while without nonlinear phase distortion compensation, the demodulation is nearly impracticable.

Power optimization for phase quantization with SOAs using the gain extinction ratio.

Phase-sensitive amplifiers (PSAs) can work as M - level phase quantizers when waves generated with specific phase values are allowed to mix coherently in a nonlinear medium. The quality of an M - level phase quantizer depends on the relative powers of the mixing waves and requires their optimization. If the mixing waves also experience gain in the nonlinear medium, such as in semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs), this optimization becomes non-trivial. In this paper, we present a general method to optimize phase quantization using a PSA made using an SOA, based on gain extinction ratio (GER), which is an experimentally measurable quantity. We present a simple theory to derive the optimal GER required to achieve an M -level quantization. We further experimentally demonstrate two- and four-level phase quantization schemes with an SOA, operated at the optimized GER, with pump power levels as low as 1 mW.

Stimulated Brillouin scattering mitigation using optimized phase modulation waveforms in high power narrow linewidth Yb-doped fiber amplifiers.

We demonstrate the mitigation of stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) in a double-clad single mode Yb-doped optical fiber amplifier through external phase modulation of narrow linewidth laser radiation using optimized periodic waveforms from an arbitrary waveform generator. Such optimized phase modulation waveforms are obtained through a multi-objective Pareto optimization based on a comprehensive model for SBS in high power narrow linewidth fiber amplifiers using Brillouin parameters determined from controlled measurements. The ability of our approach to mitigate SBS is tested experimentally as a function of RMS linewidth of the modulated optical radiation, and we measure an enhancement in SBS threshold with respect to optical linewidth of ∼ 10 GHz-1. Furthermore, we discuss the dependence of the SBS threshold enhancement on key parameters such as the amplifier length and the period of the optimized waveforms. Through simulations we find that waveforms of sufficiently long periods and optimized for a relatively long fiber (10 m) are effective for SBS suppression for shorter fibers as well. We also investigate the effect of increase in the bandwidth and amplitude of the modulation waveform on the SBS threshold enhancement observed at higher optical linewidth.

Digital power division multiplexed DD-OFDM using fundamental mode transmission in few-mode fiber.

We experimentally demonstrate fundamental mode transmission of digital power division multiplexed direct detection - orthogonal frequency division multiplexed (DD-OFDM) signal at 25.3 Gbps in 6.5 GHz bandwidth through a 5.3 km few-mode fiber. We compare the performance of a two-channel digital power division multiplexed (DPDM) signal with DD-OFDM of higher modulation format with the same spectral efficiency in both linear and nonlinear regimes of operation. In the linear regime, the mean bit error rate performance of the two-channel DPDM signal performance is comparable to the DD-OFDM signal with higher-order modulation. In the nonlinear regime, both the constituent signals of the DPDM scheme have similar nonlinear thresholds compared to the DD-OFDM signal with higher-order modulation. DPDM transmission with DD-OFDM over few-mode fiber offers doubling of both split ratio and spectral efficiency over single-mode fibers when used for passive optical networks.

Multi-point dynamic strain sensing using external modulation-based Brillouin optical correlation domain analysis.

We report a novel technique to detect dynamic strain variations simultaneously at multiple locations. Our technique is based on Brillouin optical correlation domain analysis implemented through external modulation to generate multiple independently-accessible correlation peaks within the sensing fiber. Experiments are carried out to demonstrate the precise determination of Brillouin frequency shift (BFS) from multiple locations independently. As a proof of principle, two correlation peaks are generated within a 1 km long fiber and their independent tunability is verified experimentally by mapping the spatial profile of the two correlations. We also experimentally demonstrate the detection of dynamic strain variations at two locations simultaneously, each with a spatial resolution of 60 cm over 100 m long fiber.

Polarization-insensitive phase conjugation using single pump Bragg-scattering four-wave mixing in semiconductor optical amplifiers.

We explain the generation of four wave mixing (FWM) components at the front and back facets of semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs) based on the Bragg-scattering from the propagating gratings in the SOAs. We propose a counter-propagating cross-polarized degenerate pumping scheme for the polarization-insensitive conjugate generation, simultaneously in both input and output ports of the SOA for the first time. The corresponding Bragg scattering processes along with the phase matching conditions are described and the detuning performance of the generated conjugate in either port are experimentally validated. Polarization-insensitive phase conjugate generation at both input and output ports of the SOA through Bragg scattering FWM is further demonstrated.

Performance analysis of frequency shift estimation techniques in Brillouin distributed fiber sensors.

The performance of post-processing techniques carried out on the Brillouin gain spectrum to estimate the Brillouin frequency shift (BFS) in standard Brillouin distributed sensors is evaluated. Curve fitting methods with standard functions such as polynomial and Lorentzian, as well as correlation techniques such as Lorentzian Cross-correlation and Cross Reference Plot Analysis (CRPA), are considered for the analysis. The fitting procedures and key parameters for each technique are optimized, and the performance in terms of BFS uncertainty, BFS offset error and processing time is compared by numerical simulations and through controlled experiments. Such a quantitative comparison is performed in varying conditions including signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), frequency measurement step, and BGS truncation. It is demonstrated that the Lorentzian cross-correlation technique results in the largest BFS offset error due to truncation, while exhibiting the smallest BFS uncertainty and the shortest processing time. A novel approach is proposed to compensate such a BFS offset error, which enables the Lorentzian cross-correlation technique to completely outperform other fitting methods.

Investigation of temporal dynamics due to stimulated Brillouin scattering using statistical correlation in a narrow-linewidth cw high power fiber amplifier.

We experimentally investigate the dynamics of backscattered light due to stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) in a narrow-linewidth continuous wave (CW) fiber amplifier. We observe the onset of sharp intensity variations in the backscattered radiation as we increase the pump power, which when analyzed using Karl-Pearson's correlation coefficient reveals a distinct structure. We find that such structure is associated with the onset of stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) in the fiber amplifier. Moreover, at higher pump power levels we observe a periodic signature in the Karl-Pearson correlation trace that precedes an observation of kW pulses in the backscattered radiation. Based on controlled experiments, we conclude that the formation of the above kW pulses in our system is preceded by the onset of SBS.

Measurement of differential modal group delay of a few-mode fiber using a Fourier domain mode-locked laser.

We propose and experimentally demonstrate a method for measuring the differential modal group delay (DMGD) of a few-mode fiber using a Fourier domain mode-locked laser (FDML). We use the fast frequency-swept, wavelength-tunable output of the FDML in order to perform time domain measurements of interference of the modes, which is further postprocessed to extract the DMGD. We demonstrate the measurement of DMGD for a commercial two-mode fiber over the C-band. This method is not limited by the magnitude of DMGD or the number of modes and is minimally affected by time-dependent polarization and mode fluctuations, environmental noise, and spectral resolution of instruments.

Polarization insensitive all-optical wavelength conversion of polarization multiplexed signals using co-polarized pumps.

We study and experimentally validate the vector theory of four-wave mixing (FWM) in semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOA). We use the vector theory of FWM to design a polarization insensitive all-optical wavelength converter, suitable for advanced modulation formats, using non-degenerate FWM in SOAs and parallelly polarized pumps. We demonstrate the wavelength conversion of polarization-multiplexed (PM)-QPSK, PM-16QAM and a Nyquist WDM super-channel modulated with PM-QPSK signals at a baud rate of 12.5 GBaud, with total data rates of 50 Gbps, 100 Gbps and 200 Gbps respectively.

Numerical generation of laser-resonance phase noise for optical communication simulators.

We generate random numerical waveforms that mimic laser phase noise incorporating laser-resonance enhanced phase noise. The phase noise waveforms are employed in system simulators to estimate the resulting bit error rate penalties for differential quadrature phase shift keying signals. The results show that baudrate dependence of the bit error rate performance arises from laser-resonance phase noise. In addition, we show with supporting experimental results that the laser-resonance phase noise on the pumps in four-wave-mixing-based wavelength converters is responsible for large bit error rate floors.

Measuring the correlation of two optical frequencies using four-wave mixing.

We use the physics of four-wave mixing to study the decorrelation of two optical frequencies as they propagate through different fiber delays. The phase noise relationship between the four-wave mixing components is used to quantify and measure the correlation between the two optical frequencies using the correlation coefficient. We show the difference in the evolution of decorrelation between frequency-dependent and frequency-independent components of phase noise.

Dual correlated pumping scheme for phase noise preservation in all-optical wavelength conversion.

We study the effect of transfer of phase noise in different four wave mixing schemes using a coherent phase noise measurement technique. The nature of phase noise transfer from the pump to the generated wavelengths is shown to be independent of the type of phase noise (1 / f or white noise frequency components). We then propose a novel scheme using dual correlated pumps to prevent the increase in phase noise in the conjugate wavelengths. The proposed scheme is experimentally verified by the all-optical wavelength conversion of a DQPSK signal at 10.7 GBaud.

Broadband output from an actively mode-locked fiber ring laser.

Nonlinear effects are invoked with the inclusion of a dispersion shifted fiber in the cavity of an actively mode-locked erbium-doped fiber ring laser. The spectrally broadened output is analyzed both in the time and the spectral domains for different lengths of this specialty fiber. A maximum spectral width of 52 nm is achieved at a pump power of 180 mW under optimized conditions in this configuration.

Study of Brillouin amplifier characteristics toward optimized conditions for slow light generation.

The gain and noise characteristics of a fiber Brillouin amplifier are studied experimentally and analyzed using a dispersion shifted fiber. Based on these measurements, the optimal conditions of gain and on-off ratio are identified for slow light generation.