Supercharged & Streamlined Optical Communication Bandwidth

Abstract

Researchers at the University of Central Florida have developed a transmission system for optical communications, featuring a modulation format designed to intensify data transfer with high spectral efficiency, while reducing the need for additional equipment. The proliferation of bandwidth-intense services and cloud computing drives the demand for higher data transfer rates. In turn, high-capacity optical transmission systems require increased spectral efficiency due to finite bandwidth. This system offers doubled spectral efficiency with polarization-division multiplexing, transmitting two independent channels simultaneously at the same wavelength. This high efficiency is achieved without polarization control, improving dispersion tolerance and reducing system cost. Ideal for commercial optical communication system applications, the novel modulation system can be used for bandwidth-intense and distance-sensitive applications.

Technical Details

The UCF innovation's core concept, a modulation format named differential polarization-phase-shift keying (DPolPSK), provides a new constant intensity encoding of lightwave phase and polarization without the need to recover the state of polarization (SOP) at the receiver. Because the demodulation technique features a process essentially not affected by the slow polarization change during transmission, complex and costly dynamic polarization control at the receiver is eliminated. The system consists of an electrical encoder, an optical encoder, optical demodulators, and balanced optical signal detectors. The optical demodulator offers the flexibility of effective performance at 1-bit or 2-bit delay. Additionally, the system can include a multiplexer/demultiplexer, further maximizing finite bandwidth.

Benefit

Market Application