Elliptical-Core Highly Nonlinear Few-Mode Fiber Based OXC for WDM-MDM Networks
Journal article, 2021

In order to realize an optical cross-connect (OXC) converting wavelengths and spatial modes into one-dimensional switching ports, we propose an active mode selective conversion without parasitic wavelength conversion, based on the intermodal four-wave mixing (FWM) arising in a few-mode fiber (FMF). First, we design a dispersion-engineered elliptical-core highly nonlinear FMF (e-HNL-FMF) with a graded refractive index (RI) profile, which can independently guide 3 linearly polarized (LP) spatial modes. Meanwhile, a high doping concentration of germanium in the core leads to relatively high intermodal nonlinear coefficients of 3.23 (W·km)-1 between LP01 and LP11a modes and 3.14 (W·km)-1 between LP01 and LP11b modes. Next, we propose an e-HNL-FMF based OXC scheme for wavelength division multiplexing-mode division multiplexing (WDM-MDM) networks. After optimizing both the e-HNL-FMF length and pump power, we can realize either active mode selective conversion over the designated wavelength-band or three-wavelength to three-mode superchannel conversion for 100 Gbaud 16-quadratic-amplitude modulation (16-QAM) signals over the C-band. Due to excellent characteristics of the e-HNL-FMF, both cost and configuration complexity of the OXC can be reduced, showing great potentials for all-optical signal processing in the future WDM-MDM networks.

four-wave mixing

optical signal processing

optical cross-connect

Few-mode fiber

nonlinear fiber optics

Author

Jitao Gao

Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics

Seyedeh Bentolhoda Nazemosadat Arsanjani

Chalmers, Microtechnology and Nanoscience (MC2), Photonics

Yi Yang

Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics

Songnian Fu

Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics

M. Tang

Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics

Jochen Schröder

Chalmers, Microtechnology and Nanoscience (MC2), Photonics

Magnus Karlsson

Chalmers, Microtechnology and Nanoscience (MC2), Photonics

Peter Andrekson

Chalmers, Microtechnology and Nanoscience (MC2), Photonics

IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics

1077-260X (ISSN) 15584542 (eISSN)

Vol. 27 2 9151271

Subject Categories

Atom and Molecular Physics and Optics

Other Physics Topics

Other Electrical Engineering, Electronic Engineering, Information Engineering

DOI

10.1109/JSTQE.2020.3012405

More information

Latest update

4/1/2021 6