Three-level modulation scheme on standard fibers to extend the dispersion limit

摘要

Numerical simulations show that the impact of the pulse shape on the power penalty in intensity modulated systems with standard, nonlinear fibers is decisive. This can be used to define a three-level modulation scheme that makes use of the interaction between fiber dispersion and fiber nonlinearities. By adjusting the pulse shape and peak power in a three-level modulation scheme, the standard dispersion limit of 65 km at 10 Gb/s can be extended to 170 km. The control of the pulse shape can be accomplished in the electrical domain, and therefore the effects of fiber dispersion can be compensated electrically. This is very advantageous compared with dispersion compensation schemes in the optical domain.