Abstract: An apparatus comprising a memory and a processor coupled to the memory, wherein the memory includes instructions that when executed by the processor cause the apparatus to perform the following receive an incoming signal at a sampling rate that is greater than a symbol rate associated with the incoming signal, replicate a plurality of data streams from the incoming signal, apply a plurality of fractional delays for the data streams, and perform an adaptive equalization on a plurality of data blocks generated from the data streams, wherein the fractional delay is applied to the data streams independently of the adaptive equalization, and wherein the adaptive equalization implements taps spaced at a fraction of a symbol interval associated with the incoming signal.

Abstract: Embodiments are provided for a novel multi-wavelength coherent receiver (MWCR) design and operation capable of detecting multiple optical wavelength channels. The embodiments include an optical receiver comprising a polarization-diversity optical hybrid module, a multiple wavelength local oscillator (MWLO) coupled to an input of the polarization-diversity optical hybrid module, a plurality of PIN diodes coupled to the polarization-diversity optical hybrid module, a plurality of analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) coupled to the PIN diodes, and a digital signal processing (DSP) module coupled to the ADCs. The polarization-diversity optical hybrid module splits an optical signal into multiple polarization components, wherein the optical signal includes multiple channels at multiple wavelengths. The MWLO locks the optical signal to the multiple wavelengths of the channels simultaneously.

Abstract: A method for recovering a quadrature amplitude modulated (QAM) signal is disclosed. The method includes receiving a QAM signal at a demultiplexers, where the QAM signal comprises multiple modulation schemes, splitting the QAM signal into k branches, where k is the number of QAM modulation schemes of the signal, passing the branch having the lowest order QAM modulation scheme to a first equalizer for recovering and tracking polarization and compensating polarization mode dispersion (PMD), updating a tap updating algorithm with a recovery value determined by the first equalizer, and recovering and tracking polarization and compensating PMD for all other branches based on the recovery value.

Abstract: Chromatic dispersion is pre-compensated in a direct-detected orthogonal frequency-division multiplexed optical transmitter through digital signal processing methods, to generate signals that can be transmitted over an optical fiber. The dispersion pre-compensation digital signal processing may include multiplying subcarriers by a respective factor. The dispersion pre-compensation digital signal processing may instead include application of a finite impulse response filter to signals. The dispersion pre-compensation digital signal processing may instead include fast Fourier transformations of signals, application of a frequency domain filter to signals generated by the fast Fourier transformations, and inverse fast Fourier transformations of the signals produced by application of the frequency domain filter.

Abstract: An optical signal receiver tracks local oscillator frequency offset (LOFO) and compensates for the phase distortion introduced in the received signals as a result of utilizing the local oscillator within a coherent detection scheme. This phase distortion is basically a constant phase rotation caused by the LOFO and implementation of the receiver using coherent detection and a digital interferometer instead of a conventional (yet complex) carrier phase estimation or recovery scheme. With an optical receiver implemented in this manner, the requirement of using a precise local oscillator laser with low frequency offset is less important.

Abstract: System and method embodiments are provided for bit loading for optical Discrete Multi-Tone Transmission (DMT). In an embodiment, a method for bit loading for optical DMT transmission or reception includes receiving, at a processor, a bit data stream, wherein the bit data stream comprises a plurality of subcarriers; assigning, with the processor, a code rate to each of a plurality of forward error correction (FEC) encoders/decoders according to a mapping of a signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) to a code rate for each of the subcarriers or subcarrier groups, wherein each FEC encoder/decoder corresponds to a respective one of the subcarriers or a respective subcarrier group; and assigning, with the processor, a modulation format to each subcarrier or each subcarrier group according to a mapping of an SNR for each subcarrier or subcarrier group to a bit number for a corresponding subcarrier or subcarrier group.

Abstract: An apparatus comprising a memory and a processor coupled to the memory, wherein the memory includes instructions that when executed by the processor cause the apparatus to perform the following receive an incoming signal at a sampling rate that is greater than a symbol rate associated with the incoming signal, replicate a plurality of data streams from the incoming signal, apply a plurality of fractional delays for the data streams, and perform an adaptive equalization on a plurality of data blocks generated from the data streams, wherein the fractional delay is applied to the data streams independently of the adaptive equalization, and wherein the adaptive equalization implements taps spaced at a fraction of a symbol interval associated with the incoming signal.

Abstract: An apparatus comprising a frequency-domain equalizer that has been iteratively generated to compensate for filtering effects of a wavelength selective switch, wherein the FDEQ is configured to process in a frequency domain digital samples of a polarization multiplexed phase-shift-keying signal that has been transported over an optical channel.

Abstract: A digital apparatus comprising a fast Fourier transform (FFT) module configured to transform a time domain optical signal into a frequency domain optical signal, a circular shifter coupled to the FFT module and configured to provide coarse frequency offset compensation to the frequency domain optical signal based on an estimated frequency offset; and a frequency offset estimation module coupled to the circular shifter and configured to provide the estimated frequency offset based on a power spectrum of the frequency domain optical signal or a data block header autocorrelation of the time domain optical signal.

Abstract: An apparatus comprising an analog-to-digital converter (ADC); a frequency-domain equalizer (FDEQ); a time-domain interpolator positioned between the ADC and the FDEQ, wherein the time domain interpolator is coupled to the ADC and the FDEQ and configured to perform a time-domain interpolation to compensate a signal sample for a plurality of ADC induced changes.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for performing joint equalization and timing recovery in coherent optical systems. The method includes equalizing signals to generate compensated polarization signals, wherein timing error in a distorted optical signal is calculated based on one of the compensated polarization signals. The method further includes performing resampling polarization signals to correct timing offset in an optical signal based on the calculated timing error. The calculated timing error may also be used to adaptively control one or more operating parameters of an external device.

Abstract: An apparatus comprising an optical receiver configured to receive a plurality of orthogonal frequency-division-multiplexed (OFDM) symbols comprising a first OFDM symbol and a second OFDM symbol, and a processor coupled to the optical receiver and configured to generate a first decoded signal based on the first OFDM symbol, estimate a plurality of channel parameters adaptively based on the first decoded signal, generate a second decoded signal based on the second OFDM symbol, wherein the second decoded signal is generated using the plurality of channel parameters, and wherein phase recovery is performed on the first OFDM symbol using a number of pilot subcarriers prior to generating the first decoded signal.

Abstract: An optical signal receiver tracks local oscillator frequency offset (LOFO) and compensates for the phase distortion introduced in the received signals as a result of utilizing the local oscillator within a coherent detection scheme. This phase distortion is basically a constant phase rotation caused by the LOFO and implementation of the receiver using coherent detection and a digital interferometer instead of a conventional (yet complex) carrier phase estimation or recovery scheme. With an optical receiver implemented in this manner, the requirement of using a precise local oscillator laser with low frequency offset is less important.

Abstract: A method of optical communication comprising encoding four modulated symbols to generate four encoded symbols in two orthogonal polarizations and transmitting the four encoded symbols in two successive time slots. An optical communication apparatus comprising a processor configured to receive two sequences of digital symbols in a plurality of time slots, wherein the two sequences correspond to two components of two orthogonal polarizations, wherein one digital symbol per polarization is received in each of the plurality of time slots, divide each of the two sequences into a plurality of groups using a modulo operation of time, wherein each group comprises two digital symbols received in two consecutive time slots, and adaptively equalize the four digital symbols of the two consecutive time slots using a 4×4 matrix to generate four modulated symbols, wherein the 4×4 matrix comprises 16 tap-vectors.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for performing joint equalization and timing recovery in coherent optical systems. The method includes equalizing signals to generate compensated polarization signals, wherein timing error in a distorted optical signal is calculated based on one of the compensated polarization signals. The method further includes performing resampling polarization signals to correct timing offset in an optical signal based on the calculated timing error. The calculated timing error may also be used to adaptively control one or more operating parameters of an external device.

Abstract: An apparatus comprising a nonlinear lookup unit (NL-LUU) configured to add a phase shift to a signal sample to compensate for pattern dependent phase distortion, and one or more first phase adjustment units coupled to NL-LUU and configured to remove from the signal sample a nonlinear phase error from the NL-LUU, wherein the signal sample corresponds to a received signal polarization component of a polarization multiplexed (PM) coherent signal in a PM coherent optical system.

Abstract: An apparatus comprising a frequency-domain equalizer that has been iteratively generated to compensate for filtering effects of a wavelength selective switch, wherein the FDEQ is configured to process in a frequency domain digital samples of a polarization multiplexed phase-shift-keying signal that has been transported over an optical channel.

Abstract: An optical receiver comprising a frame detector configured to receive a polarized signal comprising a first bit stream and a second bit stream, and further configured to identify a plurality of frames in the first bit stream and the second bit stream using a composite header, and a time-domain equalizer (TDEQ) configured to separate the first bit stream and the second bit stream using a portion of the composite header.

Abstract: A method comprising generating a plurality of first symbols that correspond to a side band pilot tone (SBPT) signal for a plurality of data streams, mapping the first symbols into a plurality of second symbols that correspond to a plurality of signal components of the polarization multiplexed (PM) optical signal, and transmitting the second symbols in a plurality of data blocks of a PM optical signal. An apparatus comprising at least one processor coupled to a memory and configured to obtain a data block that comprises a plurality of SBPTs in a received PM optical signal, estimate a set of values for a carrier frequency and a polarization state, update a tap weight of a master equalizer based on the estimated set of values, and update a plurality of slave equalizers based on the updated tap weight of the master equalizer.

Abstract: An apparatus comprising a plurality of receivers each configured to receive a plurality of polarized signals, a voltage control oscillator (VCO) coupled to the receivers and configured to control timing and sampling frequency of the polarized signals, and a signal processing component coupled to the receivers and configured to update a plurality of weighted linear factors, wherein the polarized signals and the weighted linear factors are used to obtain a combined signal, and wherein the weighted linear factors are updated using a real part or an imaginary part of the combined signal. Included is a method comprising using a linear factor to combine a plurality of polarized optical signals to provide time recovery information, and updating the linear factor using a combination of the polarized optical signals.