Optical modulation using digital image symbol patterns and grating light valve technology in a hybrid multiplexed superchannel

The latest research exploits to increase optical channel bandwidth are termed polarization division multiplexing (PDM) and few mode fiber (FMF), which rely upon a complex multiplexed architecture together with customized electro-optic modulated hardware elements, inhibited by cost implications and technical limitations thereof. The research pursued herein presents an alternate digital image pattern modulated (DIPM) approach to achieve higher bandwidth gains, spectral efficiency (SE), and transmission reach improvement. The solution focuses on reducing implementation cost with a scalable software approach and simplified conceptual hardware design using grating light valve (GLV) technology to address the drawbacks of PDM, FMF, and other conventional optical transmission technologies. Simulation test results for a DIPM-GLV-based fiber optic (FO) transmission system and comparisons against conventional and other novel techniques are graphically shown and interpreted, suggesting that DIPM using GLV is a viable high performance and cost efficient solution.