An evolutionary configuration for an optical coherent multichannel network

The architecture of the ultrawideband coherent optical local area network (UCOL) is described. The optical coherent multichannel transmission system of the UCOL network, including the reference frequency generator and fiber-based optical hybrid for the polarization diversity receiver, is discussed. A review of the main experimental results obtained in developing the optical subsystems is presented, and the introduction of components such as optical amplifiers and active phase modulators within the network is also discussed. >