Routing and time-slot assignment in photonic circuit switching networks

We introduce the notion of photonic circuit switching (PCS) networks and investigate the routing and time-slot assignment (RTA) problem for such networks. PCS is analogous to TDM circuit switching in electronic switching networks. It provides a way for sub-division of the capacity of a wavelength channel in optical networks. By finding routes and assigning time slots carefully, the optical buffering requirement in such networks can be greatly reduced.