Numerical analysis of intermodulation interference in an optical coherent multichannel system

Coherent optical transmission techniques have a potential for use in ultra-wide-band coherent optical lans (UCOL's) in addition to long distance applications. They offer the possibility of extremely high total bandwidth by making simultaneous transmission of multiple wide-band signals possible. This paper reports on the numerical simulation of the performance of a heterodyne optical FDM system as a function of channel spacing. The channel interference due to intermodulation noise is discussed. A possible channeling arrangement with a spectral efficiency of 45 percent is described.