To double transmission distance of optical fiber communication based on MIMO-CMA and MRC

Abstract

The relentless pursuit of longer data transmission in fiber optic communications has led to the development of advanced signal processing techniques for multiplexing and detection. In this context, this paper presents a thorough investigation into the applicability of a novel Maximum Ratio Combining Algorithm (MRC) for Polarization Division Multiplexed (PDM) systems. Towards this objective, a detailed simulation study was carried out on commercial software, focusing on a PDM 16QAM long-haul coherent transmission system. The system leveraged the MIMO-CMA for equalization and MRC for signal combining, aiming to enhance the overall system performance. Furthermore, this research extended to an experimental demonstration of a 32G-Baud PDM-16QAM coherent transmission scheme. The experimental setup employed the MIMO-CMA and MRC techniques for signal processing over long-haul standard single-mode fiber (SSMF). Results from the experimental study are promising, revealing that the system utilizing MRC-based PDM-16QAM can achieve a maximum Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) gain of up to 2.3 dB, thereby almost twice the optical fiber transmission distance can be achieved. The findings of this paper confirm the viability of the proposed scheme for improving the performance of PDM coherent transmission systems. The research underscores the potential of PDM and MRC as powerful tools for next-generation long-haul coherent transmission system.