All-optical phase and amplitude regenerator for next-generation telecommunications systems

• Published in: Nature photonics Vol. 4; no. 10; pp. 690 - 695
• Main Authors: Lundström, Carl, Sygletos, Stylianos, Jakobsen, Dan, Dasgupta, Sonali, Sjödin, Martin, O'Gorman, James, Grüner-Nielsen, Lars, Parmigiani, Francesca, Bogris, Adonis, Slavík, Radan, Herstrøm, Søren, Andrekson, Peter A, Weerasuriya, Ruwan, Ellis, Andrew D, Kakande, Joseph, Petropoulos, Periklis, Phelan, Richard, Syvridis, Dimitris, Richardson, David J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 01.10.2010; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 639/624/1075/187; Amplitudes; Applied and Technical Physics; Applied sciences; Binary systems; Communication systems; Exact sciences and technology; Fiber optics; Fundamental areas of phenomenology (including applications); Geometrical optics; letter; Noise; Optical communication; Optical fibers; Optical system design; Optical telecommunications; Optics; Physics; Physics and Astronomy; Quantum Physics; Regenerators; Telecommunications; Telecommunications and information theory; Telecommunications systems; Phase noise; Optical fiber networks; Optical communication; Encoding; Optical design techniques
• ISSN: 1749-4885; 1749-4893; 1749-4893
• DOI: 10.1038/nphoton.2010.203

Fibre-optic communications systems have traditionally carried data using binary (on−off) encoding of the light amplitude. However, next-generation systems will use both the amplitude and phase of the optical carrier to achieve higher spectral efficiencies and thus higher overall data capacities 1 , 2 . Although this approach requires highly complex transmitters and receivers, the increased capacity and many further practical benefits that accrue from a full knowledge of the amplitude and phase of the optical field 3 more than outweigh this additional hardware complexity and can greatly simplify optical network design. However, use of the complex optical field gives rise to a new dominant limitation to system performance—nonlinear phase noise 4 , 5 . Developing a device to remove this noise is therefore of great technical importance. Here, we report the development of the first practical (‘black-box’) all-optical regenerator capable of removing both phase and amplitude noise from binary phase-encoded optical communications signals. Devices that can reduce noise in fibre-optic communications systems are of great technical importance. Scientists have now developed a practical all-optical regenerator that is capable of directly removing not only amplitude noise but also phase noise from binary phase-encoded optical communications signals.