160 Gb/s-based field transmission experiments using polarizer-based PMD compensator with optical power monitor

Higher bit-rate transmission is attractive for improving network resource efficiency and reducing the complexity of network management in future transmission systems. However, chromatic dispersion and polarization mode dispersion (PMD) are one of the most serious impairments. In particular, PMD should be compensated for dynamically because it changes rapidly according to environmental variations such as temperature change and mechanical vibration. Therefore, an adaptive PMD compensator is indispensable for higher bit-rate transmission systems. In this paper, we employed a simple and bit-rate independent PMD compensator based on a polarizer with an optical power monitoring scheme in 160 Gb/s-based field experiments. By using the PMD compensator, the single channel transmission of a 160 Gb/s return-to-zero differential phase-shift-keying modulation signal over an installed fiber link with buried and aerial cable routes was successfully achieved. Approximately 1 dB of Q-factor was improved by using the PMD compensator when PMD impairment was maximized. Through these experiments, the effectiveness of the PMD compensator in the higher bit-rate transmission systems was confirmed in the field environment. Furthermore, single-polarization 8 × 160 Gb/s wavelength division multiplexing transmission over the installed 200 km standard single mode fiber without polarization demultiplexing was successfully achieved by using the simple PMD compensator.