First-order PMD monitoring for NRZ data using RF clock regeneration techniques

S. M.Reza Motaghian Nezam, Yong Won Song, Changyuan Yu, John E. McGeehan, Asaf B. Sahin, Alan E. Willner

Research output: Journal article publicationJournal articleAcademic researchpeer-review

35 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

We propose and demonstrate two novel techniques for 10 Gb/s polarization-mode-dispersion (PMD) monitoring for NRZ signals that use a regenerated RF clock tone as a monitoring signal. Our techniques regenerate the RF clock tone that is usually absent after square-law detection in the electrical NRZ data spectrum (in the absence of dispersion). Our first technique uses a dispersive element in the monitoring tap-line to put the beam terms between the optical clock sidebands and the carrier in phase and thus regenerates the RF clock tone after detection. Our second technique involves the use of an opical filter that is centered at the bit rate frequency on either the upper or lower sideband of the optical spectrum, removing one of the sidebands and thus preventing the beating that normally cancels the RF clock tone. We show (theoretically, via simulation, and experimentally) the effect that PMD has on these regenerated RF clock tones. We also demonstrate PMD compensation at 10 Gb/s using these techniques for monitoring and show a 6-dB improvement in the 1% power penalty tail. Our techniques are simple, do not require modification at the transmitter, and can be applied to WDM systems via the use of a multichannel dispersive element or a tunable filter swept across all channels.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1086-1093
Number of pages8
JournalJournal of Lightwave Technology
Volume22
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Apr 2004
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Chromatic dispersion
  • Microwave
  • Monitoring
  • Optical fiber communications
  • Optical filtering
  • Performance
  • Polarization-mode dispersion (PMD)

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics

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