Power penalty analysis for realistic weight functions using differential time delay with higher-order dispersion

In this paper, the power penalty analysis for approximate and realistic weight functions has been presented for combating the pulse broadening effects of group-velocity dispersion in a fiber-optic communication link using differential time delay method including higher-order dispersion terms. The expressions for root mean square (RMS) phase deviation, optimum chirp factor and figure of merit have been evaluated for approximate and realistic systems. We show that the optimum value of chirp factor corresponds to dispersion compensation. The power penalty graphs for second-, third-, and fourth-order dispersion and their combinations have been presented for distance up to 300 km for this chirp factor for different weight functions. It is observed that the power penalty for realistic weight functions is less in comparison with the approximated weight function. It has also been shown that it is possible for a short pulse to propagate without significant broadening over the lengths many times longer than the usual dispersion length of fiber.