Ultra-dense optical data transmission over standard fibre with a single chip source

Area of Science:

• Photonics and Optical Communications
• Integrated Photonics
• Nonlinear Optics

Background:

• Integrated micro-combs, derived from micro-cavity resonators, replicate the capabilities of bulk optical frequency combs in a compact form factor.
• Micro-combs have driven advancements in spectroscopy, microwave photonics, frequency synthesis, optical ranging, quantum sources, metrology, and high-capacity data transmission.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate ultra-high data transmission using a single integrated micro-comb source.
• To leverage the unique properties of soliton crystals for advanced optical communication.

Main Methods:

• Utilized soliton crystals, a powerful class of micro-combs, for generating optical frequency combs.
• Employed a 1550 nm telecommunications C-band wavelength.
• Implemented a 64-quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) data modulation format.

Main Results:

• Achieved an unprecedented line rate of 44.2 Terabits per second (Tb/s).
• Transmitted data over 75 km of standard optical fiber.
• Attained a spectral efficiency of 10.4 bits per second per Hertz (bits/s/Hz).
• Demonstrated robust and stable operation with a low soliton micro-comb spacing of 48.9 GHz.

Conclusions:

• Soliton crystals enable high-efficiency, stable micro-comb generation and operation.
• This work validates the practical application of optical micro-combs in demanding optical communication networks.
• Highlights the potential of integrated photonics for future ultra-high capacity data transmission.