Phase-Modulated Optical Communication Systems

Fiber-optic communication systems have revolutionized our telecommunication infrastructures – currently, almost all telephone land-line, cellular, and internet communications must travel via some form of optical fibers. In these transmission systems, neither the phase nor frequency of the optical signal carries information – only the intensity of the signal is used. To transmit more information in a single optical carrier, the phase of the optical carrier must be explored.

As a result, there is renewed interest in phase-modulated optical communications, mainly in direct-detection DPSK signals for long-haul optical communication systems. When optical amplifiers are used to maintain certain signal level among the fiber link, the system is limited by amplifier noises and fiber nonlinearities. Phase-Modulated Optical Communication Systems surveys this newly popular area, covering the following topics:

- The transmitter and receiver for phase-modulated coherent lightwave systems

- Method for performance analysis of phase-modulated optical signals

- Direct-detection DPSK signal with fiber nonlinearities, degraded by nonlinear phase noise and intrachannel effects

- Wavelength-division-multiplexed direct-detection DPSK signals

- Multi-level phase-modulated optical signals, such as the four-phase DQPSK signal.

Graduate students, professional engineers, and researchers will all benefit from this updated treatment of an important topic in the optical communications field.

Keang-Po Ho is currently with National Taiwan University.  He was the cofounder and CTO of StrataLight Communications.  His research interests are the system issues of high-speed optical communications, and he has authored more than 150 technical publications.