Long-haul coherent communications using microresonator-based frequency combs
Abstract
Microresonator-based frequency combs are strong contenders as light sources for wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM). Recent demonstrations have shown the potential of microresonator combs for replacing tens of WDM lasers with a single laser-pumped device. These experiments relied on microresonators displaying anomalous dispersion. Devices operating in the normal dispersion offer the prospect of attaining high power conversion efficiency - an aspect that will be crucial in the future for enabling energy-efficient coherent communications with higher order modulation formats or lighting several spatial channels in space-division multiplexing. Here we report the experimental demonstration of coherent communications using normal dispersion microresonator combs. With polarization multiplexed (PM) quadrature phase-shift keying, we transmitted data over more than 6300 km in single-mode fiber. In a second experiment, we reached beyond 700 km with PM 16 quadrature amplitude modulation format and an aggregate data rate above 900 Gbit/s assuming 6% error correction overhead. These results represent the longest fiber transmission ever achieved using an integrated comb source.
- Publication:
-
Optics Express
- Pub Date:
- October 2017
- DOI:
- 10.1364/OE.25.026678
- arXiv:
- arXiv:1701.08569
- Bibcode:
- 2017OExpr..2526678F
- Keywords:
-
- Physics - Optics
- E-Print:
- 7 pages, 6 figures