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We present an optical fiber supporting 36 information bearing orbital angular momentum (OAM) states spanning 9 OAM orders. We introduce design techniques to maximize the number of OAM modes supported in the fiber; while avoiding LP mode excitation. We fabricate such a fiber with an air core and an annular index profile using the MCVD process. We introduce a new technique for shaping OAM beams in free-space to obtain better coupling efficiency with fiber with annular index profiles. We excite 9 orders of OAM in the fiber, using interferometry to verify the OAM state on exiting the fiber. Using polarization multiplexing and both signs for the topological charge, we confirm support of 36 states, exploiting to our knowledge the highest number of OAM modes ever transmitted in optical fiber.

Only radio access networks can provide connectivity across multiple antenna sites to achieve the great leap forward in capacity targeted by 5G. Optical fronthaul remains a sticking point in that connectivity, and we make the case for analog radio over fiber signals and an optical access network smart edge to achieve the potential of radio access networks. The edge of the network would house the intelligence that coordinates wireless transmissions to minimize interference and maximize throughput. As silicon photonics provides a hardware platform well adapted to support optical fronthaul, it is poised to drive smart edge adoption. We draw out the issues in adopting our solution, propose a strategy for network densification, and cite recent demonstrations to support our approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We measure the mode dependent loss (MDL) of a few-mode fiber (FMF) using an improved microwave interferometric technique. A frequency-swept microwave signal modulates a filtered optical incoherent source that is injected into the FMF under test. During propagation, the microwave signal carried by the various modes experiences different losses and delays before interfering at the photodetector. The fiber MDL, between mode groups, is computed from the interference pattern by measuring two different fiber lengths under the same excitation condition. This technique relies on the dominant excitation of the fundamental mode and therefore can measure high values of MDL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Orbital angular momentum (OAM) of light is a promising means for exploiting the spatial dimension of light to increase the capacity of optical fiber links. We summarize how OAM enables efficient mode multiplexing for optical communications, with emphasis on the design of OAM fibers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Orbital angular momentum (OAM) of light is a promising means for exploiting the spatial dimension of light to increase the capacity of optical fiber links. We summarize how OAM enables efficient mode multiplexing for optical communications, with emphasis on the design of OAM fibers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we analyze the performance of code acquisition system in atmospheric optical code division multiple access (OCDMA) communications using optical orthogonal codes. Memory introduced by temporal correlation of optical fading process precludes us from using the Markov chain model for a code acquisition analysis. By considering this issue, we discuss how to extend the applicability of the Markov chain model to the atmospheric OCDMA communications. We analyze and compare the performance of correlator and chip level detector (CLD) structures in the acquisition system. In our analysis, we consider the effects of free space optical channel impairments, multiple access interference, and receiver thermal noise in the context of semi-classical photon-counting approach. Furthermore, we evaluate the performance of various two stage schemes that utilize different combinations of active correlator, matched filter, and CLD in search and verification stages, and we find the optimum acquisition scheme among them. Numerical results show significant improvement in reducing the acquisition time and required power for synchronization using our optimum scheme in the wireless OCDMA communications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two-layer step-index fibers have well-known cutoff solutions, while cutoff solutions for three-layer step-index fiber exist for only one geometry (ring fiber). We derive exact expressions for cutoff frequencies of both vector and scalar modes for all geometries of three-layer step-index fibers. While vector modes have been solved for these fibers, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first time cutoff expressions are reported. Expressions for cutoff help predict the number of supported modes for a given fiber profile. Using these cutoff expressions, we deduce characteristics of fiber modal content as a function of fiber profile. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The orbital-angular-momentum (OAM) modes in optical fibers have polarization mode dispersion (PMD) properties similar to those of single-mode fibers (SMFs). The +l and −l order OAM modes supported by the same fiber vector modes undergo random cross coupling and exhibit a frequency-dependent time delay. We name this effect “OAM-PMD” and extend the formalism developed for PMD in SMFs to describe OAM-PMD. The characteristics of the modal beat lengths, birefringence correlation lengths, and the mean value of OAM-PMD are investigated. A fixed-analyzer technique is proposed and demonstrated to characterize this phenomenon in OAM fibers. Two different types of OAM fiber are examined. The measured results are compared with the theoretical calculations. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

We propose and experimentally demonstrate a carrier-reuse,single-feeder,wavelength-division-multiplexed, orthogonalfrequency-division-multiple-accesspassiveoptical network (WDM-OFDMA-PON) with colorless direct-detection optical network units and coherent detection optical line terminals. We examine two strategies by adjusting the frequency occupancy and the modulation format of the uplink (UL) and downlink (DL) signals. We investigate the impact of the DL signal-to-carrier ratio on the performance of both the UL andDLsignals via simulations and identify impairments limiting system performance. As a proof of concept,we demonstrate on a single wavelength channel a realization of each of the two scenarios investigated using orthogonal frequency division- multiplexing (OFDM). A quadrature phase-shift keying approachwith a wide spectrum and a narrow guard band achieves 21.6 Gb/s.A32-aryquadrature amplitudemodulation approach with a narrow spectrum and a wide guard band achieves 14.5 Gb/s and a span of over 80 km. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Wavelength routing based on arrayed waveguide grating (AWG) devices has been proposed as a disruptive technology for capacity, footprint, and flexibility requirements of cloud data centers. The limited buffering capacity of AWG-based routers, however, affects network throughput and makes them highly susceptible to data center traffic imbalance. A load-balancing stage, capable of evenly distributing the incoming traffic in both space and time, can improve network robustness and remedy congestion penalties. Robustness and scalability due to load balancing come at the cost of physical-layer complexities in terms of added cost, power consumption, and impairments. In this paper, we conduct a novel scalable analysis to study load-balancing tradeoffs between network-layer gains and physical-layer penalties in a multistage routing scenario. Our cross-layer simulations examine the requirements of a wavelength-routing load balancer based on AWG and tunable wavelength converters (TWCs) in order to achieve performance interesting for a data center. Our results point to the critical contribution of Q-factor degradation to load-balancer performance and encourage efforts in the design of novel router architectures, aiming to consolidate routing with scheduling-based load balancing. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Design tools have existed for decades for standard step-index fibers, with analytical expressions for cutoff conditions as a function of core size, refractive indexes, and wavelength. We present analytical expressions for cutoff conditions for fibers with a ring-shaped propagation region. We validate our analytical expressions against numerical solutions, as well as via asymptotic analysis yielding the existing solutions for standard step-index fiber. We demonstrate the utility of our solutions for optimizing fibers supporting specific eigenmode behaviors of interest for spatial division multiplexing. In particular, we address large mode separation for orbital angular momentum modes and fibers supporting only modes with a single intensity ring. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

We present a simple, straightforward technique to enable bidirectional transmission of analog and digital signals in single-fiber wavelength division multiplexing passive optical network systems employing reflective semiconductor optical amplifiers (RSOA). An On-Off-Keying (OOK-DL) downlink modulation is effectively erased in a saturated RSOA, reflecting a carrier for retransmitting on the same fiber an in-band analog WiFi orthogonal frequency division multiplexing uplink signal (OFDM-UL). We investigate the operating conditions and the optimization procedure to attain required signal quality for both the uplink and downlink. We demonstrate experimentally the maximum distance and the best attainable performances for different lengths of standard single mode fiber (transmission). Bit error rate below the forward error correction threshold is obtained for WiFi OFDM-UL signal over 40 km and up to 80 km of SSMF using 64QAM and QPSK modulation modes, respectively. In all cases, we achieve error-free operation for the OOK-DL signal at 1 Gb/s. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

We analyze the performance of fiber fault monitoring of a PON using a centralized, passive optical coding (OC) system. We develop an expression for the detected monitoring signal, study its statistics, and contrast our OC monitoring system with standard optical code division multiplexing (OCDM) data communication. We derive a new closed form lower bound expression for the interference probability, and use this to find the signal-to-interference ratio (SIR). A service provider cannot control the physical layout of homes in a coverage area; measuring performance for one network layout would be insufficient to test our proposed monitoring system. Client geographic distribution has a significant impact on the SIR. We consider five different PON geographical distributions and study their effect on OC monitoring performance. Our results show that SIR is sufficient to successfully monitor the network. In addition, we find that the uniform radial (UR) distribution, an analytically tractable distribution, gives good performance estimation and can therefore be a useful tool in characterizing performance in terms of both SIR and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this letter, we propose a novel optical coding scheme for fiber link quality monitoring of a passive optical network (PON). The proposed scheme named incrementally pulse positioned coding (IPPC) is practically very attractive due to its simple design and fabrication process, small size, zero coding loss and low cost. We demonstrate the superior correlation properties of IPPC over existing codes, address the design considerations, and evaluate its performance for a PON monitoring system via the average signal-to-interference ratio (SIR). [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]