Abstract: Disclosed herein is a transponder comprising a transmitter and a receiver. The transponder further comprises a receiver input amplifier, a bypass line, and a control unit configured for determining the performance of the transponder in relation to an OSNR related parameter, by controlling the transponder to generate a noise signal to be received by the receiver. The receiver input amplifier is operated to thereby cause ASE in the receiver input amplifier to facilitate the determination. A test signal is generated at the transmitter Said noise signal and said test signal, and/or one or more respective replicas thereof, are superimposed to form a combined signal to be received by said receiver to further facilitate determination of said performance related parameter based on said combined signal, wherein for generating said combined signal, said test signal is fed from the transmitter to the receiver by means of said bypass line.

Abstract: Disclosed is a receiver for receiving an optical signal comprising a plurality of carriers within a predetermined frequency band. The receiver comprises means for sampling and converting each of the carriers into a set of corresponding digital signals, and a digital processing unit for processing said digital signals of said set of digital signals such as to mitigate transmission impairments of the corresponding optical carriers based on corresponding processing parameters. The digital processing unit is configured for determining such processing parameters by carrying out a corresponding parameter derivation procedure based on one of the digital signals of said set of digital signals. The processing unit is configured for sharing thus determined processing parameters for processing of other digital signals among said set of digital signals based on said shared determined processing parameters, or processing parameters derived from said shared determined processing parameters.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a dual parallel Mach-Zehnder-modulator (DPMZM) device comprising a DPMZM 10 having first and second inner MZMs arranged parallel to each other. The first inner MZM generates an in-phase component EI of an optical signal in response to a first driving voltage VI, and the second inner MZM generates a quadrature component EQ of said optical signal in response to a second driving voltage VQ. Further disclosed is a calculation unit 52 configured for receiving an in-phase component yI and a quadrature component yQ of a desired base-band signal, and for calculating pre-distorted first and second driving voltages VI, VQ. The calculation of the pre-distorted first and second driving voltages VI, VQ is based on a model of said DPMZM 10 accounting for I-Q cross-talk, and using an algorithm that determines said first and second driving voltages VI, VQ each as a function of both of said in-phase and quadrature components yI, yQ of said base-band signal.

Abstract: A method for determining a model representation for an optical transmitter comprises determining a quantity of a subsequence of output signals of an optical transmitter, the output signals being emitted in response to a sequence of input signals provided to the optical transmitter, and determining a model representation for the optical transmitter based on the determined quantity, wherein the quantity only represents a part of the information encoded in the subsequence of the output signals.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a transponder (14), comprising a transmitter (18) for generating and transmitting an optical signal and a receiver (20), wherein said receiver (20) comprises a receiver input amplifier (40) at the receiver's input.

Abstract: A system for determining skew comprises an optical transmitter unit adapted to generate an optical output signal with a first plurality of signal components and adapted to feed the optical output signal into an optical output path; an optical receiver unit adapted to receive an optical input signal with a second plurality of signal components from an optical input path; and an optical loopback path adapted to connect the optical output path to the optical input path. The optical loopback path is adapted to couple the first plurality of signal components of the optical output signal at least partly with the second plurality of signal components of the optical input signal. The system further comprises an analysis unit adapted to determine, from the coupled optical input signal, both a first skew pertaining to the optical transmitter unit and a second skew pertaining to the optical receiver unit.

Abstract: A method and device is provided for reducing optical transmission impairments, particularly nonlinear effects, of at least one link Said method comprising the following steps: extracting a phase information (??) from an optical signal (120) received via that at least one link, determining a nonlinear coefficient (?), associated with the at least one link, based on the phase information (??), applying a control mechanism (202) using the nonlinear coefficient (?). Furthermore, a communication system is suggested comprising said device.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a dual parallel Mach-Zehnder-modulator (DPMZM) device comprising a DPMZM 10 having first and second inner MZMs arranged parallel to each other. The first inner MZM generates an in-phase component EI of an optical signal in response to a first driving voltage VI, and the second inner MZM generates a quadrature component EQ of said optical signal in response to a second driving voltage VQ. Further disclosed is a calculation unit 52 configured for receiving an in-phase component yI and a quadrature component yQ of a desired base-band signal, and for calculating pre-distorted first and second driving voltages VI, VQ. The calculation of the pre-distorted first and second driving voltages VI, VQ is based on a model of said DPMZM 10 accounting for I-Q cross-talk, and using an algorithm that determines said first and second driving voltages VI, VQ each as a function of both of said in-phase and quadrature components yI, yQ of said base-band signal.

Abstract: The present invention relates to signal processing in an optical receiver, in particular to equalization performed in coherent optical receivers. A multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) equalizer receives and equalizes a plurality of real value signals, for example four sampled electrical baseband tributaries (HI, HQ, VI, VQ). The outputs of the multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) equalizer provide equalized real or imaginary components of complex signals. The complex signals including the real and imaginary components are then each and individually equalized to remove chromatic dispersion.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a dual parallel Mach-Zehnder-modulator (DPMZM) device comprising a DPMZM 10 having first and second inner MZMs arranged parallel to each other. The first inner MZM generates an in-phase component EI of an optical signal in response to a first driving voltage VI, and the second inner MZM generates a quadrature component EQ of said optical signal in response to a second driving voltage VQ. Further disclosed is a calculation unit 52 configured for receiving an in-phase component yI and a quadrature component yQ_ of a desired base-band signal, and for calculating pre-distorted first and second driving voltages VI, VQ. The calculation of the pre-distorted first and second driving voltages VI, VQ is based on a model of said DPMZM 10 accounting for I-Q cross-talk, and using an algorithm that determines said first and second driving voltages VI, VQ each as a function of both of said in-phase and quadrature components yI, yQ of said base-band signal.

Abstract: An encoder encodes digital data, said encoder includes one or more component encoders, one or more interconnections between component encoders, one or more inputs and one or more outputs. The encoder is configured to carry out the following steps: combining internal input bits received via an interconnection and external input bits received via a corresponding input, to assemble a local information word, encoding the local information word such as to generate a local code word, outputting a reduced local code word and handling the same reduced local code word over to the interconnect for forwarding the same reduced local code word to another component encoder or to itself, wherein the encoder is configured to forward on each interconnect the bits of the reduced local code in parallel but with delays that are mutually different for at least a subset of the reduced local code word bits.

Abstract: Disclosed is a receiver for receiving an optical signal comprising a plurality of carriers within a predetermined frequency band. The receiver comprises means for sampling and converting each of the carriers into a set of corresponding digital signals, and a digital processing unit for processing said digital signals of said set of digital signals such as to mitigate transmission impairments of the corresponding optical carriers based on corresponding processing parameters. The digital processing unit is configured for determining such processing parameters by carrying out a corresponding parameter derivation procedure based on one of the digital signals of said set of digital signals. The processing unit is configured for sharing thus determined processing parameters for processing of other digital signals among said set of digital signals based on said shared determined processing parameters, or processing parameters derived from said shared determined processing parameters.

Abstract: The present invention relates to performing chromatic dispersion estimation in a receiver of an optical communication system. Here, the signal received by the receiver includes frames, each comprising a training portion and a data portion. The training portion comprises a plurality of identical pattern sequences. Different settings are applied to an equalizer to generate a plurality of equalized signals from at least one of the received frames. Then, at least one correlation value is calculated between a first pattern sequence and a second pattern sequence of the equalized signals and a final correlation value is derived from the respective correlation values. The setting of the equalizer corresponding to the equalized signal providing the highest final correlation value is selected to provide the chromatic dispersion estimation.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a modulator (50) for polarization-division multiplexing (PDM) transmission. The modulator (50) comprises first and second DP-MZMs (12, 28) associated with first and second polarizations, each DP-MZM (12, 28) having an input for an in-phase and a quadrature driving signal for modulating the in-phase and quadrature components of an optical signal according to respective transfer functions, and a detector (58) suitable for detecting light comprising at least a portion of the light outputted by the first DP-MZM (12) and a portion of the light outputted by the second DP-MZM (28). The modulator (50) is adapted to superimpose a first pilot signal on one of the in-phase and quadrature driving signals of the first DP-MZM (12) and on one of the in-phase and quadrature driving signals of the second DP-MZM (28), and a second pilot signal on the respective other of the in-phase and quadrature driving signals of the first and second DP-MZMs (12, 28).

Abstract: The present invention relates to signal processing in an optical receiver, in particular to equalization performed in coherent optical receivers. A multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) equalizer receives and equalizes a plurality of real value signals, for example four sampled electrical baseband tributaries (HI, HQ, VI, VQ). The outputs of the multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) equalizer provide equalized real or imaginary components of complex signals. The complex signals including the real and imaginary components are then each and individually equalized to remove chromatic dispersion.

Abstract: Component signal values are derived from component signals and fed to at least one fixed equalizer which generates equalizer output signals. The signals are fed to phase error detectors generating phase error signals. The phase error signals are combined with further phase error signals derived by further error detectors receiving signal values from further equalizers and/or the component signal values directly from sample units.

Abstract: The invention describes a method and an arrangement for transmitting an optical transmission signal with reduced polarization-dependent loss. A first transmission signal component and a second orthogonal transmission signal component of the optical transmission signal are transmitted with a time difference between said transmission signal components.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is an encoder for encoding digital data, said encoder comprising one or more component encoders, one or more interconnections between component encoders, one or more inputs and one or more outputs. The encoder is configured to carry out the following steps:—combining internal input bits received via an interconnection and external input bits received via a corresponding input, to assemble a local information word,—encoding the local information word such as to generate a local code word,—outputting a reduced local code word and handing the same reduced local code word over to said interconnect for forwarding said same reduced local code word via said interconnect to another component encoder or to itself, wherein said encoder is configured to forward on each interconnect the bits of the reduced local code in parallel but with delays that are mutually different for at least a subset of the reduced local code word bits.

Abstract: The present invention relates to performing chromatic dispersion estimation in a receiver of an optical communication system. Here, the signal received by the receiver includes frames, each comprising a training portion and a data portion. The training portion comprises a plurality of identical pattern sequences. Different settings are applied to an equalizer to generate a plurality of equalized signals from at least one of the received frames. Then, at least one correlation value is calculated between a first pattern sequence and a second pattern sequence of the equalized signals and a final correlation value is derived from the respective correlation values. The setting of the equalizer corresponding to the equalized signal providing the highest final correlation value is selected to provide the chromatic dispersion estimation.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a modulator (50) for polarization-division multiplexing (PDM) transmission. The modulator (50) comprises first and second DP-MZMs (12, 28) associated with first and second polarizations, each DP-MZM (12, 28) having an input for an in-phase and a quadrature driving signal for modulating the in-phase and quadrature components of an optical signal according to respective transfer functions, and a detector (58) suitable for detecting light comprising at least a portion of the light outputted by the first DP-MZM (12) and a portion of the light outputted by the second DP-MZM (28). The modulator (50) is adapted to superimpose a first pilot signal on one of the in-phase and quadrature driving signals of the first DP-MZM (12) and on one of the in-phase and quadrature driving signals of the second DP-MZM (28), and a second pilot signal on the respective other of the in-phase and quadrature driving signals of the first and second DP-MZMs (12, 28).