Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual

The objective of the proposed research is to investigate techniques for all-optical regeneration in fiber-optic communication systems operating at bit rates of 40 and 160 Gb/s. All-optical regenerators improve the quality of signals degraded by transmission impairments. They have the potential to enable networks with enhanced functionality and increase the maximum achievable transmission distance. For a bit rate of 40 Gb/s, conventional electrical time division multiplexing (ETDM) is used to combine several lower bit rate signals into a single high bit rate signal. A technique known as optical time division multiplexing (OTDM) is used for a bit rate of 160 Gb/s since the required components are not available for ETDM. Methods for the demultiplexing of OTDM signals will be explored as a topic of considerable interest itself, but also as an essential requirement for enabling the research on 160 Gb/s all-optical regeneration. Three doctoral students will develop theoretical and experimental skills highly sought by industry as they explore (i) regeneration for amplitude modulated signals, (ii) regeneration for phase modulated signals, and (iii) OTDM demultiplexing using electrically- and optically-activated gates. Graduates during the current five-year grant are employed at Ciena, Communications Research Centre, Gennum, Nortel Networks, Optelian, and Stanford University. The proposed research will advance the fundamental understanding of techniques for optical regeneration and demultiplexing. Thorough assessments of the system performance are topics of significant technical challenge and practical importance. If advanced technologies are to be deployed in fiber-optic communication systems, detailed study is required to fully understand the key issues that affect system performance. The potential impact of the research is significant given the role of global telecommunication networks in society today and the reliance of such networks on fiber-optic communication systems.