Design and analysis of a novel fiber-based PCS optical network

Abstract

We propose a passive antenna remote unit (PARU) architecture which can be used in future optical fiber-based PCS networks. This system is robust, easy to maintain, and upgradeable to multi-GHz frequencies. By using externally modulated Nd:YAG lasers and coherent detection on the uplink, the system is far more efficient than for a direct detection (DD) uplink in terms of subcarrier multiplexed (SCM) voice and video channels per laser, meeting an spurious-free dynamic range (SFDR) requirement of 55 dB. For voice channels, a coherent FM uplink, a coherent AM uplink, and a DD uplink support, per laser with 200 mW optical power, over 1600 channels, 352 channels, and 96 channels, respectively. For moderate quality video, a coherent FM uplink supports over 1000 channels but a coherent AM uplink and a DD uplink cannot achieve the required SFDR due to the Brillouin threshold.