High-order coherent communications using mode-locked dark-pulse Kerr combs from microresonators
Abstract
Microresonator frequency combs harness the nonlinear Kerr effect in an integrated optical cavity to generate a multitude of phase-locked frequency lines. The line spacing can reach values in the order of 100 GHz, making it an attractive multi-wavelength light source for applications in fiber-optic communications. Depending on the dispersion of the microresonator, different physical dynamics have been observed. A recently discovered comb state corresponds to the formation of mode-locked dark pulses in a normal-dispersion microcavity. Such dark-pulse combs are particularly compelling for advanced coherent communications since they display unusually high power conversion efficiency. Here, we report the first coherent transmission experiments using 64-quadrature amplitude modulation encoded onto the frequency lines of a dark-pulse comb. The high conversion efficiency of the comb enables transmitted optical signal-to-noise ratios above 33 dB while maintaining a laser pump power level compatible with state-of-the-art hybrid silicon lasers.
Cite
@article{arxiv.1801.03435,
title = {High-order coherent communications using mode-locked dark-pulse Kerr combs from microresonators},
author = {Attila Fülöp and Mikael Mazur and Abel Lorences-Riesgo and Pei-Hsun Wang and Yi Xuan and Dan. E. Leaird and Minghao Qi and Peter A. Andrekson and Andrew M. Weiner and Victor Torres-Company},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1801.03435},
year = {2018}
}