Space division multiplexing apparatus including multi-core fiber and selfhomodyne detection method

• US 9,503,186 B2
• Filed: 03/22/2013
• Issued: 11/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: National Institute of Information and Communications Technology
• Original Assignee: National Institute of Information and Communications Technology
• Inventors: Puttnam, Ben, Kawanishi, Tetsuya, Awaji, Yoshinari, Kanno, Atsushi
• Primary Examiner(s): Wolf, Darren E
• Application Number:
  US14/424,031
• Publication Number:
  US 20150222356A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,341 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/02 Optical fibres with cladding with or without a coating
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/02042 Multicore optical fibres
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/04 formed by bundles of fibres G02B6/24 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/25891 Transmission components H04B10/40 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/61 Coherent receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/63 Homodyne , i.e. coherent receivers where the local oscillator is locked in frequency and phase to the carrier signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/00 Optical multiplex systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/04 Mode multiplex systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/06 Polarisation multiplex systems

Abstract

To provide a self-homodyne detection communication system capable of using a space-division multiplexing signal as a signal for communication. The present invention relates to a space-division multiplexing apparatus 12 including a multi-core fiber 11 having multiple cores. The space-division multiplexing apparatus 12 uses cores other than a core 13 for self-homodyne detection among the multiple cores included in the multi-core fiber 11 as cores 16 for communication. The space-division multiplexing apparatus is configured to include a pilot-tone guiding unit 14 and a self-homodyne detection unit 15.

Claims

1. A space-division multiplexing apparatus (12) including a multi-core fiber (11) having multiple cores, comprising:

a multiplexing unit (21) which multiplexes a signal for communication and a pilot tone for self-homodyne detection, the signal being generated by a light source (22);

a pilot tone guiding unit (14) which guides the pilot tone to a first core (13) for self-homodyne detection which is one of the multiple cores in the multi-core fiber (11), the first core (13) being a center core of the multiple cores;

a signal guiding unit (17) which guides the signal for communication among the signals multiplexed by the multiplexing unit (21) to second cores (16) for communication, the second cores being around center core; and

a self-homodyne detection unit (15) which detects the pilot tone output from the core (13) for self-homodyne detection and performs the self-homodyne detection,

wherein a diameter φ

_s of the first core (13) for self-homodyne detection and a diameter φ

_c of the second core (16) for communication have a relationship selected from the group consisting of 1.1≦

φ

_s/φ

_c≦

1.3 and 1.2≦

φ

_s/φ

_c≦

3.

2. The space-division multiplexing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an optical comb generator for generating any one or both of the pilot tone and the signal for communication propagating through the second cores (16) for communication.

3. The space-division multiplexing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an optical path length adjustment unit for adjusting an optical path length difference of each core in the multi-core fiber (11) having the multiple cores.

4. A self-homodyne detection method using a space-division multiplexing apparatus (12) including a multi-core fiber (11) having multiple cores, comprising:

guiding a pilot tone for self-homodyne detection to a first core (13) for self-homodyne detection which is any one of the multiple cores;

guiding a data signal to a second core (16) for communication which is one of the multiple cores; and

detecting the pilot tone output from the first core (13) for self-homodyne detection;

detecting the data signal output from the second core (16) for communication; and

performing the self-homodyne detection by demodulating the data signal for communication by using the pilot tone as a reference signal;

wherein a diameter φ

_s of the first core (13) for self-homodyne detection and a diameter φ

_c the second core 16 for communication have a relationship selected from the group consisting of 1.1≦

φ

_s/φ

_c≦

1.3 and 1.2≦

φ

_s/φ

_c≦

3.

5. The self-homodyne detection method according to claim 4,

wherein the guiding a pilot tone for self-homodyne detection to a first core (13) for self-homodyne detection is guiding the pilot tone to center core of the multi-core fibre (11).