title: 16-QAM optical packet switching and real-time self-homodyne detection using polarization-multiplexed pilot-carrier.
abstract: We demonstrated 20-Gbit/s 16 quadrature amplitude modulation (16-QAM) optical packet switching and real-time detection using self-homodyne. A prototype modulator consisting of an in-phase and quadrature (I-Q) modulator and monolithically integrated polarization beam splitters generated modulated signals and polarization-multiplexed pilot-carriers simultaneously. Self-homodyne detection using the pilot-carrier was resilient to phase noise and self-phase modulation, and the constellation was obtained in real time without digital signal processing. A low-polarization-dependent (Pb,La)(Zr,La)O(3) (PLZT) optical switch in the optical packet switch handled both 16-QAM optical packets and the polarization multiplexed pilot-carrier. Even after packet switching, a clear constellation diagram was obtained, and error-free operation was confirmed in real-time using a packet bit-error rate tester (BERT).
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Information and Communications Technology 4-2-1 Nukui-kitamachi, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8795, Japan. sshinada@nict.go.jp
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shinada
authors.forename: Moriya
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.forename: Yukiyoshi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kamio
authors.forename: Naoya
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Wada