Experimental demonstration of 20 Gbit/s data encoding and 2 ns channel hopping using orbital angular momentum modes

Area of Science:

• Optical communications
• Free-space optical communication

Background:

• Orbital angular momentum (OAM) modes offer a new degree of freedom for optical communication.
• Efficient data encoding and channel hopping are crucial for high-speed optical networks.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the spatial domain for data encoding and channel hopping in optical communication systems.
• To investigate the impact of mode spacing and time misalignment on system performance.
• To demonstrate reconfigurable channel hopping using OAM modes.

Main Methods:

• Experimental demonstration of data encoding at 20 Gbit/s using four OAM modes.
• Investigation of mode spacing and time misalignment effects on crosstalk and bit-error rates.
• Demonstration of reconfigurable channel hopping for a 100 Gbit/s QPSK data channel between OAM modes.

Main Results:

• Data encoding achieved at 20 Gbit/s using four OAM modes.
• Adjacent mode spacing (spacing of one) resulted in a 3.2 dB power penalty compared to larger spacing.
• Reconfigurable channel hopping demonstrated with less than 5.3 dB power penalty for a 100 Gbit/s QPSK channel.

Conclusions:

• The spatial domain can be effectively utilized for data encoding and channel hopping.
• Mode spacing and time synchronization are critical factors influencing crosstalk and power penalties.
• OAM-based channel hopping offers a flexible and efficient method for optical communication systems.