Phase-noise-free coherent optical communication system utilizing differential polarization shift keying (DPolSK)

An optical communication system utilizing differential polarization modulation, which is free from phase noise, is discussed. The system proved to be immune to essentially all phase jitter. Separate square operations for the x and y channels, followed by multiplication of the two-channel outputs, effectively removed phase jitter. The delay-and-multiply circuit was directly incorporated in the paths of the frequency shifter and the coupler to the local oscillator laser, minimizing the optical power loss.