19-core MCF transmission system using EDFA with shared core pumping coupled via free-space optics.

We report the development of a space division multiplexed (SDM) transmission system consisting of a 19-core fiber and 19-core Erbium-doped fiber amplifier (EDFA). A new 19-core fiber with an improved core arrangement was employed to achieve a low aggregated inter-core crosstalk of -42 dB at 1550 nm over 30 km. The EDFA uses shared free-space optics for pump beam combining and isolation, thus is SDM transparent and has some potential for cost reduction. 19.6 dB to 23.3 dB gain and 6.0 dB to 7.0 dB noise figure were obtained for each SDM channel at 1550 nm. System feasibility for SDM transmission over 1200 km was demonstrated with 100 Gb/s PDM-QPSK signals.

Super-Nyquist-WDM transmission over 7,326-km seven-core fiber with capacity-distance product of 1.03 Exabit/s · km.

We show super-Nyquist-WDM transmission technique, where optical signals with duobinary-pulse shaping can be wavelength-multiplexed with frequency spacing of below baudrate. Duobinary-pulse shaping can reduce the signal bandwidth to be a half of baudrate while controlling inter-symbol interference can be compensated by the maximum likelihood sequence estimation in a receiver. First, we experimentally evaluate crosstalk characteristics as a function of channel spacing between the dual-channel DP-QPSK signals with duobinary-pulse shaping. As a result, the crosstalk penalty can be almost negligible as far as the ratio of baudrate to frequency spacing is maintained to be less than 1.20. Next, we demonstrate 140.7-Tbit/s, 7,326-km transmission of 7 × 201-channel 25-GHz-spaced super-Nyquist-WDM 100-Gbit/s optical signals using seven-core fiber and full C-band seven-core EDFAs. To the best of our knowledge, this is one of the first reports of high-capacity transmission experiments with capacity-distance product in excess of 1 Exabit/s · km.

110.9-Tbit/s SDM transmission over 6,370 km using a full C-band seven-core EDFA.

We confirm the feasibility of 100-Tbit/s-class trans-oceanic SDM transmission. Using seven-core fiber spans with seven-core full C-band EDFAs, 7 × 264-channel quasi-Nyquist-WDM 60-Gbit/s PDM-QPSK signals are transmitted over 6,370 km.

Detailed comparison between mode couplings along multi-core fibers and structural irregularities using a synchronous multi-channel OTDR system with a high dynamic range.

We have greatly increased the dynamic range of a synchronous multi-channel OTDR system for the mode coupling measurement of a multi-core fiber (MCF) by more than 20 dB by introducing an optical amplifier and an optical masking apparatus. We used the OTDR system to measure the mode coupling along 10 km-long MCFs with low crosstalks of less than -50 dB. Thus, we successfully measured the fiber structural irregularity dependence of mode coupling along the MCF.

Investigation on multi-core fibers with large Aeff and low micro bending loss.

To realize large effective area (Aeff) multi-core fibers (MCFs), the design to suppress the cross-talk and the influence of the cladding diameter on the micro bending loss were investigated. As a result, the MCFs with large Aeff over 100 µm(2) and low micro bending loss were successfully fabricated. The results indicate the importance of fiber design to realize large Aeff MCFs including fiber diameters, which largely affect the micro bending loss property. Additionally, MCF with large Aeff, low attenuation loss and suppressed cross-talk was successfully realized by optimizing the fiber design. The cross-talk properties could be estimated by the simulation based on the coupling power theory taking the influences of the longitudinal fluctuation of core diameter into account.